# My 1.20cm hopefully NPT



## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

One tank which is medium tech (169x59x59, one Tanganyika (160x50x50) and one wish. A NPT.

December 2011 I got a 120x50x40 (H) tank. And now at last I did someting with it.

The book in the tank must be recognized by you all.










I have all the time of the world, but I'll want to keep a thread with all the progressions.

The earth I will be using I did start watering, drying watering in october 2011. This to prove I'm patient.

There is only one pitfall. I want to create something which also echoes a hillstream...


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## Skizhx (Oct 12, 2010)

> The book in the tank must be recognized by you all.


You'd be amazed how many people try these tanks without actually reading the book 



> There is only one pitfall. I want to create something which also echoes a hillstream...


Not quite a pitfall, just a scaping challenge...

I had a hillstream-esque image in mind for my tank










The foreground is Echinodorus Tennllus, background is dwarf sag.

No reason NPT has to be a crazy jungle... Just gotta balance things and make sure you got enough roots to occupy the substrate to keep it from going anaerobic.

If you think your pitfall is not enough plants in your scape, just stick an internal filter with some biomedia. It's not really cheating...

Also, remember that Walstad advises against any surface agitation. I see a lot of people ignoring this.


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

The title is "hopefully". I'll be cheating.

But first this:










This photo is made in 1966. The photo is from the archive of "my" tank-club and visible on the site of the club which I develop (http://www.onsnatuurgenot.nl, it is Dutch). In 1966 I was one year old, so it is not my tank .

At that time there was no use of CO2, plants where not feeded with all kind of bottles/powders, but a "heavy bottom" was used. And the availability of plant species was less diverse. But then again I still do not know what the tap water was consisted of. I think at that point there was more PO4 and NO3 in it.

What I want with my third tank is a low maintenance tank (it is in the attic).

The echo of the hillstream means that I have a internal pump attached to (two) pipes to create a flow from left to right. The pipes are there, I have to test the system this weekend.

Secondly it means that I'm going to use stones as in a river. Gaps will be filled with sand.

Only those areas which will be planted get the bottom of soil. Before the stones there must come a sand-only "beach" (Rhinogobius Duospilus).

Lighting is breaking my head at this point.

Plants will be cryptocoryne, echonidorus and real waterplants which must reach beyond the surface (unlimited CO2) . Lets say (not the right phrase) less demanding plants.

But I'll have all the time in the world. Because hard scaping is nicer than finishing and painting the cupboard I'll be first focussing on stones and polyurethane (PUR foam).

And I'm still not sure if I'll be using a Hamburger mattenfilter (See this German site: http://www.deters-ing.de/Filtertechnik/Mattenfilter.htm). By the way this article http://www.deters-ing.de/Gastbeitraege/Mulm.htm, maybe you can try it in a translate site, informs about the mulm in a tank.

Will my tank be succesfull? I do not know. Keeping aquaria is a broad grey area. And remember the tank in my living room is medium-tech. I'm using CO2, have a plantfeeding regime. But I just also want a tank which keeps me in touch with the old-school Dutch tanks. There so many ways to achieve a goal in this hobby.

By the way, it does not matter which type of planted tank somebody has, the book of Walstad is readable, advisable for everbody.


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## Skizhx (Oct 12, 2010)

I'm itching to read those articles, I'll have to bookmark them.

Your post and approach is refreshing. I wish you the best of luck.

Please keep us updated.


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## PaulG (Apr 25, 2011)

1966?


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

Yes. You are amazed?

Let me show some other tanks from the archive:

1965









1967









We do not have many photo's anymore from that time, which is a shame.

You'll have to remember that the hobby in the Netherlands is old, very old. "My" club started in 1935. A recipe for the bottom taken from a book published in 1947:

1 part leaf mold (I do not think this is a good translation)
1 part peat
1 part clay
1 part limestone rubble
4 parts riversand

Without a past no present.

But back to my topic. I tested the system of pipes this weekend, and it worked. I'll put some photo's in this topic tonight.


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## Travis.808 (Apr 2, 2009)

45 years later with "technology" and stuff and I'm not anywhere in the league of these! Amazed!


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

These photo's were taken in the context of the annual contest. Or better, test. Each year members of a club opt to let a judge, judge the tank (intention was to learn, to achieve knowledge, nowadays it is more a contest). The best of those will enter district level, and the best of that test (#1) will enter national level.

This means that the photo's which we still have, represent the top of the club in those years. So please do not think this is the "regular" aquarium in the Netherlands. But it shows that without many technology a certain scape can be reached. Because we do not have much additional data about the tanks, we'll have to geuss about the size. Which can be done by looking at the used plants. My guess is max 40cm high, 1 bulb (TLD-8 or TLD-20).


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

As promised some photo's of the progression.

Hillstream pipes









First part of the background which must be mounted right. I do not know how much space I will reserve or which filter medium I will use, it will function as an internal filter.


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## Skizhx (Oct 12, 2010)

Travis.808 said:


> 45 years later with "technology" and stuff and I'm not anywhere in the league of these! Amazed!


Funny how that works, huh?

All we've really been doing lately in this hobby is striving to make aquariums accessible to anyone who owns a teaspoon.

There's a whole world out there that seems to have just vanished somewhere...


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

Skizhx said:


> Funny how that works, huh?
> 
> All we've really been doing lately in this hobby is striving to make aquariums accessible to anyone who owns a teaspoon.
> 
> There's a whole world out there that seems to have just vanished somewhere...


You've got Liebig's law, and you've got an interpretation of this law.

There is nothing wrong with Barr. There is nothing wrong with Walstad. There is nothing wrong with whatever.

The first tank-keepers (round 1900) where people with money and knowledge and hunger for knowledge. They created concrete tanks, did find solutions for heating etc. They had to learn it the hard way.

Taking chalk for a schoolboard (get rid of the yellow shell) or Sepia (the white thing also used with birds), putting it in the bottom near to Vallisneria is a trick which came from that period. It is laughed away nowadays. But there are also people adding Ca to their tanks. The same people who laugh about chalk. The older and new generation hear eachother, but don't listen.

With the internet a lot of information is provided. But not always the reciever will think. It is the responsibility of the reciever to think. If an advice is take your NO3 to 20ppm and your PO4 to 2ppm, this will be given with the right intentions. Still the reciever has to think: why? If the reciever take the advice, and still complaints about algea (while we were feeding plants and not fighting algea), the advice can be temper your lighting. The reciever should have thought about this in an earlyer stage. The one who gave advice also. Do not take for granted that in the other tank the conditions are the same.

That is one side. Focus on feeding. Focus on planted tanks! Logical on APC

But IMHO there is no recipe for a tank. In base needed is:

- Water
- Light
- Fish
- Plants
- Feeding

You also need TLC, "green fingers" (understanding of plants), experience with plants (how do they react on pruning, how do they grow). And understanding of yourself. How do you think about your CO2-footprint? Do you like gadgets? Is chemistry an asset of the hobby? How much money you can spend?

50% waterchanges in area's where there is not many water will be a problem. Throwing out all the redundant elements with the waterchange can be a problem. Or may be used in the garden. Using osmosis is an option when you have very hard water. But you could also chose to go for an African tank.

The tank keeper must ask him/herself questions and will have to find out what method or tank will be the good choice.

Back to the real world. Many people will buy a tank without any reading, and they also will have to learn the hard way, and will embrace any method found on the inet which helps, and even become apostles for those methods without accepting there are other ways.

Or sell the tank.

PS.
I do not have the answer, and in my living room I've got a bit algea which is higher on the plant ladder, so difficult to fight. Everything is relative.


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

Update. I did play with PUR. And a knife.




























Stones to give an impression. Real placement will be done in a later phase










To the left a blue see through must be realized. Not this blue ofcourse.


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

This week I found at last some time for this project. I hate DIY. But there is a kind of cabinet. I must still paint. This weekend all the water will be changed, and the bottom will be applied.

The theme will be Asia. I want the Betta Albimarginata. Beautifull fish. Together with Rinogobius duospilus, and I think Tanichthys albonubes or Tanichthys micagemmae. There will be no heating.

The plants you see are partially temporarily. The balansea ofcourse not.


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

At the 29th I bought many plants. Mainly Cryptocorynes.

I started at the 30th.

Empty tank. Plastic coffeecups because there will be no dirt beneath the stones.




























Extra minerals. Muriate of potash. KCl or dietsalt. It is al the same.


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

Earth is mingled with clay.


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

At 31-12 in the morning.










In the evening. With fish. Six Rhinogobius duospilus. The old tank was leaking. Again.

But it is to early... I filled my tank with water, old aquarium-water from my high-tech tank, didge water and I took the complete content of a filter form my high-tech tank to the internal filter. It can be done.


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## mariannep (Mar 18, 2012)

Hello!

I think you're doing well for not liking DIY  Love our hardscape! Please keep us on updates!

Greetings from the Canary Islands!

Marianne


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

At 7 januari the attached photo was taken.

I did add some floating Potamogeton gayi just for the first period.

I'm still waiting for the Cryptocoryne to melt. Maybe they will not, but they have to acclimatize.


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## totziens (Jun 28, 2008)

Wow! You were already scaping your tanks before I exist on this planet when my late father probably had bare fish tanks.


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

Yesterday:










The complete journey of this tank, in Dutch, is on the following adres:

http://www.onsnatuurgenot.nl/aquarium/walstad.htm

Which can be tanslated with a tool like Google translate, although the result is "funny" English.


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

Update. Very slow growing, but I'm pleased.


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## Skizhx (Oct 12, 2010)

Good stuff 

How's the maintenance on this tank? Do you have algae creeping onto the glass that you must clean off? Or do things take care of themselves?


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## VJM (Mar 31, 2013)

Amazing tank! I had a hard time envisioning what you were going for with the foam scaping, but it turned out absolutely lovely. 

What are the giant lily pad looking things on the bottom center? They really make it for me.


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

Algea on the front I remove one a month. I have hardly any maintanance.

Growht is realy slow. The Nymphaea zenkeri to the left would have reached in my other tank (the hight tech) much more leaves and ofcourse the surface.

There is some thready algea in the Vescularia. And of course algea on the wood. But that is a choice and Imho is wanted in this kind of tank.

I am introducinh now fish. Tanichthys albonubes. After that i want tor try the betta marginata once again. The first time they did not survive. Because there is no heating, and it is in the attic this winter water temperature was dropping to 16 degrees celcius. For the Rhinogobiux duospilus qnd the albonubes not a problem. I fear the summer. But I will see.


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

Update. The temperature rose to 26 degrees celsius. And now it is 22. We had a summer of two days... The Nymphaea grew and grew. I'll wait for a flower and then replace it with a Nymphoides.

I think it is doing well. (could have cleaned the window ofcourse before taking the photo)


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

Lotus replaced by... Nymphoides ezannoi?


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

This is looking great. I am curious about the filter. How much flow is it and how it is preforming ? Also what are you using for lights exactly?


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

Thanks,

Still the photo is bad. It does not do justice to the real tank.

Light:
one 36 watt TL-8, 33 (back), 09:30-19:00
one 36 watt TL-8, 840 (in front), 09:00-20:00

Filtration:
On the right ofcourse the internal filter, which only contains blue foam. The "hilstreampump" is second hand. I do not know the power. Will be something as 400l/h. But that will not be reached. Furthermore two Eheim 2217. The outlet comes from the internal filter. Both canisters only use wool (standard white). 
There is no water agitation at the surface.


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

Little correction. I'm always juggling with the numbers of the canisters. They are not the 2017, but the smallest, the 2011.

Sorry.


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

More detailed













































Juvenile Macropodus opercularis


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

Sombody made some pictures. Which are always better then when I do it.


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

That's looking great Catweazle! I can't believe I missed this thread. The more time I spend learning about the old Dutch style the more I'm coming to appreciate the simpler style of the old times and DIY work you folks do over there. Someday I want to visit the Netherlands and meet some of you folks.


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

Photo from yesterday


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)




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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

May 2015.


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## f1ea (Jul 7, 2009)

Wow Cat.... amazing.

I remember you from a few yrs back  I used to do more NPT/low tech/soil tanks, but since I've moved and have 2 kids.... so now I'm doing a bit more tech to make things easier, and considerably fewer tanks. 


Great tank. BTW... it's 1.2 m, not 1.2 cm 

Also.. amazing photos from those old tanks. Wow.


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

*Re: My 120cm hopefully NPT*

Rather stupid mistake.

But to give you some idea about a project within the local society/club the url beneath shows how we are making a background. There is not a lot of Dutch text in it.

A teaser










http://www.onsnatuurgenot.nl/aquarium/nieuwbeginraymond.htm

More photo's will follow. Last saturday we put it in the tank, and arranged new wood.


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

The teaser above resulted in










Not a Walstad. But too nice not to show.

Photos from my Walstad will follow soon.


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

My tank september 2015.


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## user367 (Dec 15, 2004)

I like your beautyful tank, but where my favourite Macropodus?


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