# My underwater jungel look Low-Tech



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

Here im my aquarium that i have reviewed and cared for the last 5 years, 720 litters Low-Tech.

It is the first aquarium i`ve had, it is illuminated with LED lighting, 126 Watt.
On 9 hours, 10,30 to 19,30, i use rainwater 75% tap water 25% Kh 5 Ph 6,5

 Kjeld


----------



## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Beautiful tank! Please tell us more about the set-up. What kind of substrate did you use? Filtration?


----------



## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

Looks like there is a toy story kind of attack coming from the left side!


----------



## K Randall (Nov 23, 2004)

Very nice! There is a lot to be said for this easy-to-live-with style of tank!


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

BruceF said:


> Looks like there is a toy story kind of attack coming from the left side!


 I`ts my little Viking guard.


----------



## Yo-han (Oct 15, 2010)

Wow, looks a good place to be if you're a fish!


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

Yes i`ts gets bigger 2014 May 1200 L


----------



## Bardus71 (Sep 29, 2011)

You are an aquatic genius and artist my friend.


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

Thanks, to everyone for the compliments, Bardus, you make me blush, but thanks.

I think in all modesty, that i have hit the right moment, and managet to get it to work. The combination of all parameters i have chosen, probably affect the good result.

In, Bardus thread Largest El Natural Tanks, i have described, how i have built my Aquarie environment.

But i would like to describe the main features here, i have chosen, flowers soil (potting soil)washed 3 times, for it not to color the water too much, and removing a portion of fertilizer let it stand for 2 to 3 weeks in a container covered with plastick or cloth, not wet, just humid, so that will be a culture that will benefit the plants when it comes down to the aquarium, the potting soil you buy from a gardner as Walstad recommend.

Then i spend 20 kg red clay made balls 2 to 3 cm big let them dry before they come in the aquarium, at the bottom before potting soil, 1 layer wite 2 cm between the balls. Then potting soil in the aquarium, i press it little stuck with a clenched fist, so it is fixed,where you want plants, you can also get some red clay balls 5 cm into the soil,i have a soil layer of 5 cm in the front and 10 to 15 cm at the rear.

Then some river gravel in the aquarium 5 to 10 cm, where i put plants, do i also have some red clay balls around the roots 5 cm into gravel, then you can over time come some more red clay balls down around the roots.

Water quality is as follows Niteate 10 Nitrite 00,5 Phosphate 2,8 Fe 0,05 KH 5 Ph 6,5.
i switch 100 liters each month 75% rainwater and 25% tapwater, the qualitet of the aquarium water is very stable month after month.

I use Eheim bucket filter 2200 liters per hour, 2 powerheads in the aquarium 2000 and 4000 liters per hour, i fertilize once a week with micro and once a week with Nitrate 40 Ml each.

Then i can not think of more to write about.

 Regards, Kjeld.


----------



## Angie (Dec 4, 2005)

Very impressive.


----------



## cichlidrookie (Feb 6, 2013)

Nice looking aquarium..update us with pix of larger aquarium when u get it


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

Angie said:


> Very impressive.


 Hey Angie 

Thank you, i am also satisfied, an it requires not much work 1 hour a month. 

 Regards, Kjeld.


----------



## cichlidrookie (Feb 6, 2013)

Very nice aquarium..wish my first one looked like that lol


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

cichlidrookie said:


> Very nice aquarium..wish my first one looked like that lol


 Hey Cichlidrookie.

I was also suprised after it had been running for 6 months, there was no sign of weeakness of any kind,either algae or growth weaknesses.

I also bought so many plants that it filled 75 % of the bottom, that`s probably what makes that i got a good start.

I can reveal that i was number 2 in a nationwide competition here in Denmark last year among hi tech aquariums.

 Regards Kjeld.


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

Yo-han said:


> Wow, looks a good place to be if you're a fish!


 Hey Yo-han. 

If thay are unhappy, i ask them to move. 

 Regards. Kjeld.


----------



## coatfetish (Jan 26, 2013)

What a stunning tank! I have to ask, are those Belgian Sheepdogs in the pics? Beautiful dogs, whatever they are...


----------



## coatfetish (Jan 26, 2013)

BruceF said:


> Looks like there is a toy story kind of attack coming from the left side!


lol - I just saw the "Toy Story" attack - good eye! That cracks me up...


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

coatfetish said:


> What a stunning tank! I have to ask, are those Belgian Sheepdogs in the pics? Beautiful dogs, whatever they are...


  Hey coatfetish 

Yes you are right, it is Belgian shepherd Groenendael, these 2 dogs i have won 30 national championships with, do you want to see my trophies.

 Regards Kjeld.


----------



## coatfetish (Jan 26, 2013)

Why not! You should show them off! I'd love to see more pics of the dogs too, if that doesn't derail your thread - for so many wins they must be amazing! =D>


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

coatfetish said:


> Why not! You should show them off! I'd love to see more pics of the dogs too, if that doesn't derail your thread - for so many wins they must be amazing! =D>


 I write in The Water Bucket look for that.

Regards. Kjeld,


----------



## coatfetish (Jan 26, 2013)

A link? I've googled The Water Bucket, dogs, Denmark, etc. etc. I'm not having any luck!


----------



## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

The Water Bucket is a forum here on APC.


----------



## coatfetish (Jan 26, 2013)

LOL - Thanks! I'm pretty new here, and I thought The Water Bucket was some kind of magazine...


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

coatfetish said:


> LOL - Thanks! I'm pretty new here, and I thought The Water Bucket was some kind of magazine...


 I have not started yet probaly be a fev days.

Regards Kjeld.


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

Good morning,  it is now 09,20 local time,at night we put the clock forward, 1 hour to summertime, but Scandinavia still have freezing temperatures, which we do not usually have, it should be spring now..

Here are the plants in my aquarium, some can not be seen becausse of growth.

Anubias batari var nana petite
coffeefolia
angustifolia
batari

ceraptophyllum demensum ( Foxtail)
bacopa caroliliana 
monnieri
crinum thaianum
cryptocoryne beckettiie
undulata broad leaves
wendtii brown
green 
crispatula
prava
echinodorus blehri (bleherae )
ozolot 
tenellus 
sagitaria subulata
microsorum peteropus
nymphaea lotus
aponogeton ulvaceus 
bolberis heudeloti

I follow up with my filtration later there is a story to tell.

Regares. Kjeld


----------



## kerrigan007 (Apr 1, 2013)

It's a more than beautiful tank, I'm not surprised you won a competition. 
I second you when you wrote that planting 75% of the surface at the very beginning helped, I noticed that in one of my small tank.
Can I ask you about the fish population? I don't recognize every of them. Thank you.


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

kerrigan007 said:


> It's a more than beautiful tank, I'm not surprised you won a competition.
> I second you when you wrote that planting 75% of the surface at the very beginning helped, I noticed that in one of my small tank.
> Can I ask you about the fish population? I don't recognize every of them. Thank you.


  I would very much like
to, may just find mames of the fish, so have a little patience.

Regards. Kjeld


----------



## kerrigan007 (Apr 1, 2013)

Sure, there is no hurry!


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

Here is some of my residents in my aquarium, some which will not be seen so it will have to wait for another time, it is some catfish.


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

Here is some more.


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

And more.


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

My second Low-Tech is with wildguppys, and shrimp is 2 years old, it runs without fertilizers only feed, konsept same as my big aquariun I`ts 120 liters.


----------



## kerrigan007 (Apr 1, 2013)

Great pictures, thanks for posting them!
I see you have a Crossocheilus Siamensis, those are great for algae! And Platys too.


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

kerrigan007 said:


> Great pictures, thanks for posting them!
> I see you have a Crossocheilus Siamensis, those are great for algae! And Platys too.


  Thank you, for your interest,
i surely send more along the way. Siamensis, that should be 7 of them, but they are hiding.

Regards. Kjeld.


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

More fish, perhaps.


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

Just the last.


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

Here is the start on my substrate, and red clay balls.


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

What happene in an aquarium, i would like to know, it`s about decomposition of waste products from fish and dead plants tissues, plants absorb salts from the water, transformed from organic matter , it is the short version.

Eheim filter is not quite large, i would do anyting in order not to damaging the environment. Found a barrel of 120 liters rebuilt it so that i could connect it to the Eheim filter and aquarium.

From the aquarium water runs down the barrol top through the filter comes out the bottom to the Eheim filter and back into the aquarium.

Filter material i`ve used crushed rough stone size 3 to 4 cm , and cut electricity pipes, see picture.

This has running now for 3 years without any problems, it will probably continue 

I`m sure it has a benefical efekt on the envioment in my aquarium.

 Regards Kjeld


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

An the filter material.


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

Playfulness


----------



## kerrigan007 (Apr 1, 2013)

Wow! 
They seem healthy and happy. Did you ever have some reproduction in there? Maybe corydoras?
I bought some Siamensis yesterday, I fell in love with them. I should had take more than 2, though. But I know they can reach an impressive size and my tank is only 55 gal.


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

kerrigan007 said:


> Wow!
> They seem healthy and happy. Did you ever have some reproduction in there? Maybe corydoras?
> I bought some Siamensis yesterday, I fell in love with them. I should had take more than 2, though. But I know they can reach an impressive size and my tank is only 55 gal.


No, i do not know if thay have, i have not seen it.


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

Here is the bottom of my aquarium, you can clearly see the red clay and the potting soil, and not least the roots of some plants, fantastic.:mod:


----------



## m3177o (Jan 16, 2009)

thats a very nice low tech set up. how is the hobby over there in denmark?


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

m3177o said:


> thats a very nice low tech set up. how is the hobby over there in denmark?


 Thanks for the nice mention of the Low-Tech aquarium. There are probably not many who have Low-Tech aquarium, there is probably more that have Hi-Tech.

I find it hard to answer presis to the question, but one thing i am sure i have probably the largest Low-Tech here in Denmark.

But the interest is obviously great, in my thread on the site i am a member in Denmark, i have had over 40.000 visitors.

Regares Kjeld.


----------



## countcoco (Dec 28, 2010)

This tank is downright inspiring.

I'm surprised that you've had such excellent long term success. Most people who have tried using a bottom layer of peat (even if it has a neutral pH) have great success for the first few months but then report serious problems with their plants after the peat fully acidifies.


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

countcoco said:


> This tank is downright inspiring.
> 
> I'm surprised that you've had such excellent long term success. Most people who have tried using a bottom layer of peat (even if it has a neutral pH) have great success for the first few months but then report serious problems with their plants after the peat fully acidifies.


It is not peat i use it`s flowers soil mixed with red clay`, but i am as glad you thought that it;s downright inspiring.

Regards Kjeld.


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

Hello, what is the reason that the leaves look like this, it is poor nutrition, or what, and what kind of fertilizer, does anyone have the answer to that, thanks.

Regards Kjeld.


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

Hey all my new dog loves my fish he is 3 months old.


----------



## SBS (Feb 26, 2013)

Arendahl said:


> Hey all my new dog loves my fish he is 3 months old.


Ha,ha. I have a tank in the sitting room next to the sofa and that side of the glass is constantly stained by "lick" marks I need to clean. My dog loves sticking her face to the tank and lick, lick, lick  Fish must look delicious 

Your dog is beautiful by the way.


----------



## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

Why did you say that the Eheim filter was not quite large? What did you see happening in the tank that made you think so? Or maybe the use of big volume filtration some kind of standard in your country?

I ask all these questions because in the US filtration is overlooked badly. Most people are made to believe that fertilizers are everything that maintains a planted tank. Most discussions are about fertilizers and deficiencies.

You could put a picture of your tank next to any "high tech" aquascape of the same size and it would be very obvious that "high tech" is not better. Look what you did with DIY substrate, no LED and fertilizing like people did 30 years ago. Before CO2, before Amano, before Tom Barr's EI, before PPS.

Amazing.


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

niko said:


> Why did you say that the Eheim filter was not quite large? What did you see happening in the tank that made you think so? Or maybe the use of big volume filtration some kind of standard in your country?
> 
> I ask all these questions because in the US filtration is overlooked badly. Most people are made to believe that fertilizers are everything that maintains a planted tank. Most discussions are about fertilizers and deficiencies.
> 
> ...


 Hay Niko.

When one has an aquarium with slow growth as mine, itis important that the aquarium water is free of organic matteras possible.

It is of course in all aquariums, but especially in aquariums with slow growth, the damage is done where the plants not thriving in terms of fertilizer shortage, it takes longer to restore the health of the plants,so i think it works, so i have developed a large filter to my aquarium so i have removed more organic matter , so as not overload the plants unnecessarily.

I have nothing negative to say about eheim filters, were just looking for greater capacity, it´s also more fund to invent somthing even acting according to one`s own idea.

It is not normal here in Denmark to use such large filters,some coupled one såkall swamp for their aquarium, i do not really know how they work.

There was nothing in my aquarium indicating that i not only had to use eheim filter, larger filter larger capacity.

Become your own sxpert

Regards Kjeld.


----------



## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

Thank you.


----------



## eworeilly (Jul 25, 2013)

beautiful tank.


----------



## Arendahl (Mar 16, 2013)

eworeilly said:


> beautiful tank.


Thank you.


----------

