# 300L Dutch tank



## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

I would like to introduce my Dutch tank. It's planted in Feb. 2008 and there have been a lot of changes since my first set up.

The tank dimensions are 120x50x50cm.
Lightning: 6 18 watt T8 840 TL's and 1 30 watt 840 TL. together good for 138 watt.
I used simple sand on the bottom of the tank. 
co2 30 bubbles per minute and some fertilizers (Profito, easycarbo, No3 and Po4)

Here is my first set up.


A month later


And now 

































A snap shot of my ballasts. 

















Comments are very welcom!!


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## Squawkbert (Jan 3, 2007)

300L on a 2L DIY CO2 reactor?!?!

I'm guessing there are more than 1 2L chained together back there with the nicely arranged ballasts.

Very nice selection of plants & good looking tank!

What are the plants in pictures 3 & 4?


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## CobraGuppy (Jun 16, 2008)

That is Beautiful!

Are those Tiger barbs or those other barbs that look like tigers but are less agressive? (the name escapes me right now  )


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

Plant on picture no3 is Proserpinaca palustris 'Cuba'
no 4 is a Nymphaea lotus.

The fish is a Trichogaster trichopterus sumatranus "gold" or something.
There are 4 of these in the tank and they are not agressive. there are also 20 Barbus pentazona's, 7 Corydoras pygmeaus and 2 C. siamensis.

And yes, there is only 1 2L DIY co2 reactor  it makes about 1b/ps or 1b/2s.
I've got a Dennerle prof. co2 system but I have to refill the bottle[smilie=e:


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## kakkoii (Jan 18, 2008)

It looks great!


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## mulita (Jul 31, 2007)

Fantastic!. What a change since the start. It look just great, I really like the plant selection and coordination in colors.


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

I've got my co2 bottle refilled so the DIY co2 isn't there anymore


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Love it. Great job. Love the colors and mix of leaf type. You have some of my favorites in there.


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## dkle (Jun 20, 2008)

Very nice! Lots of colors and lights! The pentazona barbs look awesome!


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

time for a little update and some photo's of my fishes. the first is the master of the tank. he is the boss 









1 of his female's









another female with the boss









1 of the C. siamensissen.
I believe this is a female. i've got 2 of them and the other has'nt got a thick belly.








a part of the group Barbus pentazona's. they always swim above the group of red plants. I'll see them anyway 









aromatica's from above









dthe tank from an other angle.









full shot. with some reflections


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## oregon aqua (Jan 30, 2008)

wow what a great tank! All the leaf types look great!


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Beautiful aquascape!


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Apr 23, 2008)

I never understood, what exactly is a Dutch tank?


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## oregon aqua (Jan 30, 2008)

dutch style tanks are normally terraced so that the entire tank is full of plants and can be seen from the front. can normally have little to no fish and if has fish they are not normally flashy or showier but plane and don't detract from the plants. think scaped and heavily planted, well planed looking. as a pose to a natural tank that looks..... well more natural like something you could actually go find in nature as a pose to dutch style that you would find in someones backyard garden or a botanical garden.

This is what i have come to understand. I am sure someone has better description for you.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

It really filled in nicely! Congrats!


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

oregon aqua said:


> dutch style tanks are normally terraced so that the entire tank is full of plants and can be seen from the front. can normally have little to no fish and if has fish they are not normally flashy or showier but plane and don't detract from the plants. think scaped and heavily planted, well planed looking. as a pose to a natural tank that looks..... well more natural like something you could actually go find in nature as a pose to dutch style that you would find in someones backyard garden or a botanical garden.
> 
> This is what i have come to understand. I am sure someone has better description for you.


I think you are almost right, the fish are very improtant. it's case that the amount of fish is rated to the size of the tank. not to much and to less!!


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

time for a little update. did some trimming few days ago.
the stricta moved out. it wouldn't grow 
in place of the stricta is a emerse "amania senegalensis"
it got's a few submerse leaves now as you can see on the photo.
the Glyceria maxima moved a little to the left.


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## rjfurbank (Jan 21, 2008)

Wow! Very beautiful--thanks for sharing this.


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## helgymatt (Sep 12, 2007)

Looks great, love the reds, and the nice groupings of plants. And your still on DIY CO2?


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## mulita (Jul 31, 2007)

WOW, Very beatiful! Thanks for sharing, I love the contrast with reds


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## foofooree (Mar 11, 2007)

Stunning  Very nice leaf contrasts :thumbsup:


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

helgymatt said:


> Looks great, love the reds, and the nice groupings of plants. And your still on DIY CO2?


At this moment?? yes. Because the aquatic store is closed for the holiday I can't fill up my co2 bottle
normaly I use a pressured co2 system forem dennerle


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

Here's a little update again.

I filled up the sand in the tank last week.
There are also some new plants in and some other are out.

All the plants 









The new sand is in.









Putting every thing back in place









finally it turned into this. (after a few days of growing)









Detail of the Lobelia's going around the Blyxa's.









any comments??


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## mulita (Jul 31, 2007)

Beatiful! That's a lot of grow for a few days after! Amazing, what are you doing here with Fertz and light.


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

nothing special 

138 watt of lightning (philips 4000K and 6500K)
co2. 1 b/s 24/7
no3 and po4 powder stocks, easylife profito and easylife easycarbo. thats all.


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## foofooree (Mar 11, 2007)

Is that a mini java fern wall? lol I like it


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

yes, thats java fern "philipines"


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

made some plant photo's this evening. couldn't keep them away from my thread 

Rotala rotundifolia making bubbles.









Lotus "red". 









L. aromatica (closed because the lights are almost out).


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Wonderful! Love the Lobelia!


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

some picture's of the blyxa novogueensis making flowers 

without flash









with flash


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

Very nice!
love the plant selection and layout.


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## mulita (Jul 31, 2007)

Very Nice!! Congratulations!


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

some fish photo's again 
















]


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

No comments on the fishes 

maybe the plants will do it 

here´s a new full tank view. shot is made 2 days ago.


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## mulita (Jul 31, 2007)

Awsome!! It look truly fanstastic! :clap2:....I like the photo of the barbs swiming in school. too


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## lartist (Jun 10, 2008)

What a beautiful tank!!:jaw: I like those lush planting! Fantastic work!


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## foofooree (Mar 11, 2007)

Thats great!


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Love your tank. How nice it looks. I think I'd like to live there!


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## Mike_E_P (Jan 15, 2008)

you need to design my tank! I love it! GREAT JOB


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

thnx everybody for the great comments!!!!


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

This is one of my latest photo's.
I've became 5th in a contest with it. 3rd in the category my entry was in


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## foofooree (Mar 11, 2007)

Beautiful as always!


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## andrew__ (May 18, 2007)

beautiful. Do those barbs ever leave that corner though


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

Thats the barbs favorite spot  
Right above the Alternanthera's.


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

I've made some new photo's. I'm always struggling with the macro function to make some nice close-ups. Mostly it won't work but today it worked on my Rotala making bubbles 
I also made a nice picture of the aromatica's.


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## tom_zg (Oct 20, 2006)

it is SUCH a refreshment to see a well maintained and colourful duch style tank in this flood of nature aquariums!! 

really nicely done!!


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

Just a pic. This is the view I have from my seat.










I really need to trim the difformis and the Lobelia's


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Looks like you added a crop of downoi beside the cardinals. Nice. I'm jealous!  I struggle with that plant!


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## krisha (Nov 25, 2008)

great looking tank - very nice work. Do You have some high res photos of the whole thing?


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

I dont have them anymore krisha. i had to resize them ones for a forum contest i was in to


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## mulita (Jul 31, 2007)

Very nice and well maintain tank, looks awsome, congrats!


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Congratulations on your TOM for Dec! SO nice! Can we get a close up of that downoi field?!


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

Actually, the field of downoi is'nt looking that good at the moment. The tops/new leaves are a bit yellow because of a mistake I made with the fertz. I forgot to add some iron to my fertz   
It's getting better now but they are not how they should be 

But here's a picture, though.
I made it on your reqeust


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## edlut67 (Feb 26, 2007)

Hi Mike,

How is your tank doing?

Thanks


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## monkeyruler90 (Feb 27, 2008)

wow, beautiful tank! i love that field of downoi as well. congrats on the TOM, you truly deserved it!


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## EQUINOX (Nov 19, 2008)

Very Nice Tank!
A few qustions if I may:

I read you use EasyLife Profito.
Is this your main Fertilizer for Micro?
What is you experience with it?
I've had an algea rush after dosing with it (then again, the tank was a fe days old with way too long photo periods).

What new sand did you put in?
When you had the DIY CO2 set-up you took to shut it every night?
And another small question: What do you use yo create flowings around the tank?


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

It's been a while since Ive been posting on this forum but I would like to show you how the tanks looks these days.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

nice! what a beautiful tank.


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## mountaindew (Jul 22, 2007)

Very well done!
MD


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

So gorgeous! Is that blyxa alberti? Is that Bacopa colorata? What is the low red foreground plant in front of the hygro difformis?


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## Fishtory (Jan 21, 2009)

Tex Gal said:


> So gorgeous! Is that blyxa alberti? Is that bacopa colorata? What is the low red foreground plant in front of the hygro difformis?


What she said!


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

Yes, thats the auberti.
The Bacopa is the caroliniana.
The little red foreground plant is a new species and has already found his way in Europe.
It's a Alternanthera species and it's grows very very very slow!! About 2 inches in 3-4 months
click here for the little red foreground plant


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

I thought it looked like an Alternanthera but couldn't understand it's short growth! New species??!!!! Hope I can get that eventually. It's so nice!!!!


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## Pinto (Mar 22, 2008)

Nicely done. Looks very neat!


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## WhiteDevil (May 7, 2009)

Very nice tank, mine is junk compared to what beautiful tanks I have seen on here.


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## DMHdispute (Oct 23, 2007)

Very nice, I like those little green plants in the last picture, and also the variety of colors and textures you have.


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## rjfurbank (Jan 21, 2008)

Very beautiful tank! Thanks for posting!

I love the contrast between the orderly arranged plants and the background of java fern (is this attached to the back of the tank somehow or just on driftwood that is not visible?).

Awesome!


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

rjfurbank said:


> is this attached to the back of the tank somehow or just on driftwood that is not visible?.


It's attached on some chicken fence.


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

Some pictures I made the past few weeks.










































After the summer I will do a rescape and go nature-style. Here in Holland that kinda style is very rare.
Thats why the hygro difformis and the small alternanthera's are out and a piece of driftwood with narrow split fern is in that corner, I'm already collecting some ferns and other plants and will be adding more and more driftwood cause of the rescape. Almost all the plants in this scape wil move out.
This are the last pics I will show for know. new pics will be placed after the rescape in a new topic 

after the summer


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## krisw (Jan 31, 2005)

Beautiful scape! I'm always amazed when I see a quality dutch scape. The commitment to trimming is tremendous with many of these tanks. Thanks for sharing! Good luck with your Nature Aquarium Style


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## Veloth (Jun 25, 2008)

Lovely tank. Thanks for sharing.


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

i have to say im not a fan of where the bacopa is kinda takes away from the dramatic look of the pink plant behind it  other then it looks good just my opinion though


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## edlut67 (Feb 26, 2007)

how's your nature-style tank doing?


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

It's tanks like this that makes me wish I was a fish.

Can never have enough Dutch style tanks!


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

Thnx for posting in this old thread 

my nature tank is going very well.
there's a thread on this forum called "Eternal dreams"


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## EQUINOX (Nov 19, 2008)

Miklo, I'm pulling my hat off.. Beautiful!
Where did you find inspiration for dutch style aquascaping?
How long have been keeping this tank, and modulating it?
Could you please elaborate on dosing regimen and water parameters? I'm assuming CO2 is injected right? 

P.S. Are you as decadent in life as you are with the plant arrangement?


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

Whaha, yes in real life im almost as decadent as i am with the plant arrangement.

It has been TOTM december 2008. all the things you want to know are told there


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