# newbie - low budget 180 lt



## r36613 (Mar 14, 2007)

Hi guys,

Just want to share mine :










spec:
- dimension 90cmx50x50
- volcano soil
- PMDD liquid macro and local liquid micro fert (every 2 days, WC every week)
- Local base fert
- DIY sump filter
- DIY CO2
- 1 x Metal halide 70 watt

Plants:
- Echinodorus ozelot
- Hairgrass
- Black amazon
- Hygro Compacta
- Cryptocoryne wendtii brown
- bacopa caroliana
- proserpinacan palustris cuba
- hygro angustifolia
- anubias barteri

bioload
- 50 neon
- 10 platty

please comment ....


----------



## zQ. (Dec 15, 2006)

Very nice for a low price tank ! Im Drooling


----------



## patrick76 (May 21, 2007)

Looks great how long have you had it set up?


----------



## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

This definitely doesn't look like a low budget tank. You did a GREAT job. I love the sense of depth and multi-level feel.

Nice work!


----------



## r36613 (Mar 14, 2007)

patrick76 said:


> Looks great how long have you had it set up?


It's been 5 months .. with few change of plant. Some plant like rotala macrandra, elatine, limnophila aromatica did not fit with my water hardness.

I wanna ask about cryptocoryne wendtii brown. Mine growing tall with long stem upward. Is it because low light i use?

thanks you guys .... will update soon.

rgrds
reggie


----------



## andrew__ (May 18, 2007)

r36613 said:


> I wanna ask about cryptocoryne wendtii brown. Mine growing tall with long stem upward. Is it because low light i use?


very likely. I've got some wendtii green in two tanks, same substrate but one's 1w/gal, the others my betta tank and basically just some not worth mentioning incandescent light and the ones with no light are upright (and bigger... bigger leaves, longer stems, etc) while the others are more arching.

nice looking tank


----------



## r36613 (Mar 14, 2007)

andrew__ said:


> very likely. I've got some wendtii green in two tanks, same substrate but one's 1w/gal, the others my betta tank and basically just some not worth mentioning incandescent light and the ones with no light are upright (and bigger... bigger leaves, longer stems, etc) while the others are more arching.
> 
> nice looking tank


funny thing about my cryptocoryne is the one receive more light is growing bigger and taller compare with the one that did not receive enough light.

how is it possible ?


----------



## andrew__ (May 18, 2007)

r36613 said:


> funny thing about my cryptocoryne is the one receive more light is growing bigger and taller compare with the one that did not receive enough light.
> 
> how is it possible ?


makes more sense than what I've got going on with mine 

are they growing the same shape though? mine with more light are faster growing with many more leaves but the ones without light are taller with leaves pointed almost straight up reaching for the light. More light still and they'd likely be the height of my low light ones with the shape of the medium light plants...


----------



## r36613 (Mar 14, 2007)

the left side receive higher light (direct light) and the right side overshadow by hygro angustifolia. And the result the left crypto grow upright and always pearling everyday.

Please share tips how to grow cryptocoryne short and compact ?


----------



## andrew__ (May 18, 2007)

I see... :-D abuse it more and it'll be smaller  looks like it's just happy where it is. I'd say that's it's actually fairly compact... just big. I'll take a pic of one of the crypts in my betta tank tomorrow to show you how it could be growing, and you'll appreciate yours more


----------



## r36613 (Mar 14, 2007)

hahahahaha ...
ok, please share your pict if you have free time for it.


----------



## Out_to_Sea (Jun 27, 2007)

Seriously? Low Budget? Man, that magnificent tank being low budget really shows your aquascaping skills!


----------



## r36613 (Mar 14, 2007)

I said low budget because I'm using :
- DIY CO2
- DIY CO2 reactor (using plastic mineral tube)
- DIY bubble counter
- DIY Fan
- Sump filter using trash can
- Local liquid fertilizer - micro 
- Local base fertilizer 
- PMDD liquid macro fertilizer
- "not too expensive" metal halide OSRAM 70w


----------



## r36613 (Mar 14, 2007)

update my tanks


----------



## gas (Jul 27, 2006)

wow good tank and very beautiful carpet.
The crypt is too big for me to be in the foreground.


----------



## arowanaman (Jun 14, 2006)

Ah trash cans, what cant they do


----------



## r36613 (Mar 14, 2007)

gas said:


> wow good tank and very beautiful carpet.
> The crypt is too big for me to be in the foreground.


Yup .. i did not expect the crypt will grow that big. Still preparing to move it into bigger tanks.

thanks for the comment.


----------



## r36613 (Mar 14, 2007)

Just found this ricia floating in my tanks. ....


----------



## r36613 (Mar 14, 2007)

My RCS


----------



## stepheus (Jun 13, 2006)

Really healthy tank. Quite envious of how you've grown gigantic crypts. I really like the left side but the right is a little bit messy. Good luck!


----------



## r36613 (Mar 14, 2007)

No special treatment actually, regular fert dosing, co2, metal halide + little sunlight, regular waterchange. 

But my guess, the crypto search for light because only the stem gets taller, not the leaves.

Please comment....


----------

