Planted tanks - 56K warning

[jrs]

I pretty much peep rather than post but I have had a few people contact me so I thought that I would post some pics of my tanks.  For myself, I am only really interested in plants; fish are neat but secondary to me.

Here is my main tank


Here is some flame moss


Here is one with a christmas moss wall


Here is some Fissidens fontanus


Here is a low tech no CO2 tank


These last three are DIY CO2

[babblefish1960]

Wow, very nice, all of them, okay, now you've gone and done it, you absolutely must share more details and photos, these are very lovely looking tanks.

By the way, have you considered entering a photo in the monthly photo contest?  I am sure we would all like to see that!

[fischkopp]

Very nice tanks! I like all of them, especially the idea with the xmas moos walls!

Thanx for sharing! You have a lot of new ideas for me. I need more moos ...

[jrs]

By the way, have you considered entering a photo in the monthly photo contest?  I am sure we would all like to see that!

I think it more appropriate that homegrown OVAS club members enter for the chance to win.

The tanks range in size from 20g to 100g.  The high tech ones are fully pressurized and run between 3 to 5 wpg depending on the tank.  The low/lower tech ones are much higher maintenance and many times a PITA for keeping algae at bay.

[babblefish1960]

I think it more appropriate that homegrown OVAS club members enter for the chance to win.

I would disagree, it is open to all registered users no matter where they may be, you included, so don't be shy, they are very nice tanks.

[apuppet]

oooohhh... ahhhhhh... so nice!!!

look everybody!!!! he has Fissidens fontanus!!!  and such are large clump of it!   

[Anubias]

I pretty much peep rather than post but I have had a few people contact me so I thought that I would post some pics of my tanks.  For myself, I am only really interested in plants; fish are neat but secondary to me.

Very beautiful tanks -I like the garden wall too.

[charlie]

Fantastic tanks John, thanks for sharing the pictures.

[irene]

The low/lower tech ones are much higher maintenance and many times a PITA for keeping algae at bay.

Interesting you would say that, I'm finding the opposite.  My low light setups run themselves and are algae free but my higher light ones require a lot of work to keep them looking nice.

Irene

[Iceman]

Those are fantastic. Makes my tank look like a pothole.

[Nerine]

BEAUTIFUL!!! thank you for sharing!

[jrs]

When I say that the low tech ones are higher maintenance I just mean in terms of keeping the various types of algae in low concentration.  I find that to run a successful low tech system you need to find the right balance between bioload from the fish and plant mass.  That is not as easy as it sounds.

The high tech ones are more work (ie) fert schedule, testing, pruning but much easier to maintain consistent water parameters and reduce possibilities of algae.  For the high tech ones I always keep a low biolad of fish because I know that I can easily alter my water parameters with my ferts to reach target levels.  The rapid growth of the plants and weekly water changes doesn't allow the nutrient levels to become skewed long term; therefore less algae.

So high tech ones are more work but lower maintenance.  How is that for a convoluted arguement? 

I will be trading some of the Fissidens fontanus (US Fissidens/Phoenix moss) with someone on your board.  If there is interest from people on your board I will send a little bit of Flame, Zipper, Spikey, xmas and maybe Taiwan...I will have to look.  Maybe after a while they can spread it around.  They tend to be slooooooowwww growing though.     

I was walking along a local river this summer and picked up some type of carpet moss.  I brought it home and submerged it.  After 6 months or so it has acclimated and it is beginning to grow.  It is some type of Fissidens or Fontanalis but I do not know what species.  Point being that there are some really cool mosses in your own backyard and we dont necessarily have to get them from the Pacific rim countries. 

[renadia]

WOWVery very nice, I love your moss wall

Thanks for sharing

Diane

[Brine]

INCREDIBLE Thanks for sharing. You must spend a lot of time on your tanks. Perhaps you are the one who could pull this off. http://www.aquatic-eden.com/2007/10/creating-waterfall-illusion-underwater.html
Your tanks make mine look like a green pothole.

[jrs]

Perhaps you are the one who could pull this off. http://www.aquatic-eden.com/2007/10/creating-waterfall-illusion-underwater.html

I seriously doubt it!

Brine as in KWAS Brine? 

[Brine]

Indeed, as in KWAS Brine. As you can see I moved to Ottawa.

[kyonis]

Very motivating tank setup. Very nice selection of moss and various plant colors
I liked your explanation regarding the high work, low maintenance tanks. It makes since, like any garden you need to spend time on it to look good, and if your plants are healthy and well taken care off, they will not give algae a good chance of growing. In a way, if you keep them happy, they take care of you 

what substrate are you using in your tanks, is it soil or gravel?

[jrs]

I have tried schultz, flourite, gravel, florabase and eco complete.  Eco complete is the one I like best and I use it in all of my tanks.  I would like to try ADA soil but there are no Canadian distributors.

[Glouglou]

Beautiful Tanks
what are your water parameters?

[jrs]

My main tank is:

4' quad T5HO (4x54W) + (2) 24"x65W PC's
Fluval 404 and 204
UV sterilizer
Pressurized CO2 with a DIY CO2 reactor inline with filter
Eco substrate
Dose on demand ferts:
NO3 ~ 15ppm
PO4 ~   5ppm
Fe    ~   1ppm
K - dont know
pH around 6.5
CO2 based on drop checker ~25-30ppm
temp ~80F

Here is a pic of a DIY inline CO2 reactor

This is a DIY CO2 reactor that I use on my tank inline with a fluval 404. The intake is the same on the filter. The output line enters the top right side of the picture. The outlet to the tank is the left side. The CO2 enters in the middle portion. This stands at a 60-70 degree angle at the back of the tank; right side of the pic being the top. With a pressurized CO2 system I get almost 100% of the CO2 dissolved when it enters the tank