# 8g Dutch style, opinions please :)



## lljdma06 (Sep 11, 2005)

It's been a while, but with four tanks and a Doctoral exam approaching, I've not much spare time for posting. 

This tank has been setup since early October. No CO2, 3WPG (low light with this tank size), no ferts (barring platy poop). It started out as a jungle scape, but my HM was making a rounded little ball of growth, so I decided to try it as a Dutch scape and see if it would work. The A. reineckii is a bit risky, but I think the brillance in color outways any off balance caused by the large leaves. It's been in there since early December and I'm really surprised how it's done in a no CO2 environment.

Please let me know what you think and where you think I could go with this little tank (competitions, etc)? I'm not considering any prizes, I would be entering for comments.

Front view









Angled









Left side









Right side









Color combinations









The inhabitants are 5 equally bright and colorful Dwarf Sunburst platies and then their assorted young fry. It is definitely a bright tank and perhaps not suited to some tastes, but I already have more nature style and jungle layouts, that I thought I'd give a Dutch layout a try, and I kind of like it. It definitely attracts the most attention.

Thank you for your comments and suggestions,

llj


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## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

Hi llj. You already know my thoughts on this but it's worth sharing them with other members.

I love it. 

The use of colour is stunning and the composition itself is very good IMO. It's hard to believe that you have no CO2 injection and low-med light. You must being doing something right as I'm sure many of us couldn't acheive such an impressive aquascape given the same ingredients.

Well done.


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

Its hard for me to get a sense of the whole scape. A shot from further back showing the whole tank would help.


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## stepheus (Jun 13, 2006)

Nice! Your plants are obviously growing very robustly despite the low light conditions. Well nothing major, but i would move the crypts behind the HM just in front of the rotala. IMHO pinch of the tops of the A. Reineckii to create a bushier bunch when they regrow. I noticed in my tanks that the leaves get smaller as the plant gets branch-ier from pinching off the tops. IMHO!

Well it makes me wanna enter my tanks for competitions just to get comments too. Seems like a brilliant idea *runs off and gets camera*


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## freydo (Jan 7, 2006)

Robert Hudson said:


> Its hard for me to get a sense of the whole scape. A shot from further back showing the whole tank would help.


the very first picture is a full tank shot from what i can tell. very nice grouping of plants.


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## lljdma06 (Sep 11, 2005)

gf225 said:


> Hi llj. You already know my thoughts on this but it's worth sharing them with other members.
> 
> I love it.
> 
> ...


Thanks George, you always know what to say.


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## lljdma06 (Sep 11, 2005)

An update. I've removed most of the moss and am working with E. tennelus and HM for the foreground. Much brighter.

A few pictures for you.





































The platies are constantly breeding and I count new fry often. I lost an adult to jumping, but he had jumped before and was rescued, so it was only a matter of time before he'd try again. I had only changed the water once a week for about a month, but I'm starting to see thread algae, so I'll start back on a 2x regimen. It's the only thing I've done differently.

llj


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## ranmasatome (Aug 5, 2005)

Simply dense and beautiful.


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## turbowagon (Jan 5, 2006)

I have the same tank. I love what you've done with yours! Very nice.  Is that still without CO2? Are you using Excel?


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## rich311k (Jun 24, 2006)

Sweet looking tank. Nice colors and contrasts.


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## lljdma06 (Sep 11, 2005)

turbowagon said:


> I have the same tank. I love what you've done with yours! Very nice.  Is that still without CO2? Are you using Excel?


Yes, it's still without CO2, no ferts either. I have to have a look at your tank again.

llj


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

WOW! I don't know how you do it without ferts! That's unreal!!!


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## black_lung (Dec 19, 2006)

wow, who know that platy poo alone could make for such stunning plant growth?

the new layout is abosulutely beautiful, and all the more amazing that its done without co2, high light or fertilizers. ..haha, i add all those things to my tank and still doesn't look anywhere near as dense and lovely as yours. definately something to be proud of.


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## turbowagon (Jan 5, 2006)

I'm simply amazed... it does not look like a low-tech tank.

How long is your photoperiod? Do you have any algae? If so, what types?

Please keep us posted with any updates. Here's the link to my Finnex 8g with injected CO2 and ferts:

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/aquascaping/37035-my-first-nano-8g-finnex-rimless.html


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## zig (Jul 3, 2005)

Way to go llj looks great, no ferts either, could teach a few of us around here a thing or two if you can produce tanks as good as that. Good job.


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## lljdma06 (Sep 11, 2005)

turbowagon said:


> I'm simply amazed... it does not look like a low-tech tank.
> 
> How long is your photoperiod? Do you have any algae? If so, what types?
> 
> ...


I took a look at your thread Turbowagon, and I'm impressed considering you've kept with the stock lighting. 3WPG isn't much for this size and you've got some excellent growth and I like the plant choices. I'll post a comment on the actual thread when I've got time.

My photo period is between 8-10 hours a day. Right now it's changing a bit because I'm typing my dissertation and want the tank lights on when I'm most active at my desk, which tends to be either very early in the morning or late at night. I have to decide what I want, because I don't want more than 10 hours.

I do get a little bit of thread algae on the HM, but it's easily removed. You have to look hard to find it. And I get the occasional diatoms, but again it's mostly on the back and the platies eat it.

I have to clarify about the ferts, though. I don't add any to the water column, but the substrate is laterite mixed with gravel and I've got a spot in the tank where I have heavy root feeders (Cryptocorynes and E. tennellus) so I add one Seachem rootab every 3-5 months, or translation: when I remember because 3 months is a long time to remember to do something. :-D

I hope this helps a bit. I don't know, do you think this layout could work for a competition or two? I just want the judges comments really, no ambition to win.

llj


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## LindaC (Nov 7, 2005)

Very nice job, did you mention what size tank it is, I don't think I read that Gathering from your statement, "tank this size", I'm assuming it's a 10 gallon. Your plants look very healthy, do you use tap water?


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## JustOneMore21 (Mar 19, 2007)

LindaC said:


> Very nice job, did you mention what size tank it is, I don't think I read that Gathering from your statement, "tank this size", I'm assuming it's a 10 gallon. Your plants look very healthy, do you use tap water?


Hehe...from the title:


> *8g* Dutch style, opinions please


...easy to miss. 

llj: your tank is beautiful! Its amazing that you don't use CO2 or ferts. Simply beautiful.

I love this tank....do you know of any place online that sells it?


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## lljdma06 (Sep 11, 2005)

JustOneMore21 said:


> Hehe...from the title: ...easy to miss.
> 
> llj: your tank is beautiful! Its amazing that you don't use CO2 or ferts. Simply beautiful.
> 
> I love this tank....do you know of any place online that sells it?


LindaC, I just use plain tapwater, nothing special. pH out of the tap is around 8.2, but once you add dechlorinator, it goes down almost instantly to 7.4. The tank is a pretty steady at 7.2. The kH and gH from the tap is pretty hard, it is after all Miami, but I think this also goes down once I add the dechlorinator. I use Tetra's Aquasafe, which has worked very well for me.

JustOneMore, I purchased the tank in eBay, just do a search for Finnex and it should come up if the seller is stell selling it, which he/she should be. It was a deal at less than $100 for seamless glass, filter, lighting, and a heater. It was one of those just add plants, substrate, and fish deal. I think it also comes in a 4g and a 12g or larger, which I may actually buy as I really like the look.

Thanks for the complements, it's greatly appreciated. In another forum I'm in there's been so much talk about EI, EI, and EI, I felt a little left out. Not that EI is bad, I personally loved it when I did a high-tech tank a while back, but depending on what you want to create, I don't think it's absolutely necessary all the time.

llj


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## lljdma06 (Sep 11, 2005)

Time for an update. The last pictures posted were over two months old. The foreground is quite different. I abandoned the moss and crypts for just E. tennelus, and I think I made the right choice. I doubt I'll change the scape much more, it is settling nicely. Some pictures for you.




























Still without CO2 or an organized fert regimen. The platy population is steadily increasing. I'm back to changing this one 2x a week.

Thanks for looking.

llj


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## Anti-Pjerrot (Mar 12, 2006)

wow - somehow you hit the right design for thouse plants. They compliment each other on the contrast and leafform and gives good focal ease. 
The fern-HM-Alternanthera is a great combo


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