OVAS planted tank homeshow winner 2006

Here is our 135 gallon planted tank.
Substrate is soil topped with gravel.
Lighting 6 4 foot t12 flourescents (soon to be upgraded to t5's)
Inhabitants angelfish, corydoras--sterbai and aeneus, apistogramma agassizi, cardinals, pencilfish, bushynose plecos, otocinclus and lots of malaysian trumpet snails.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• planted
• tank
• aquariums
• fish

[onyblonx]

Hi, I was hoping maybe you would take some footage of all the tanks around that one. They look lovely in the glimpses I get, Also is that a plant nursery below the 135, built into the stand?

[succinctfish]

@onyblonx Alas, I never got a chance to get more footage of that setup, and it is no longer. This video showcases what was definitely the height of my multiple tank syndrome, always needing one more tank for babies! After raising angelfish and discus babies, rams and more apistogrammas than I care to reflect on, spending hours on water changes and plant trimming, I have now happily downsized to fewer, smaller tanks. The tanks below the 135 were 15 gallon square planted tanks for apistogramma.

[thebiuen0te]

beautiful tank along with beautiful angelfish....is there a kribensis in there? i thought i saw one but its hard to tell

[succinctfish]

@thebiuen0te that is an apistogramma, which do look somewhat akin to kribs and they're both cichlids, but apistos are slightly calmer community fish from south america, not africa. Even so, you can see it has a similar pint sized arrogance as it takes on the angels. To be fair it is defending it's mate and fry at the time of the video. It is a great fish and one of my favourite cichlids.

[danakinskyrocker]

Have you ever thought about using EcoComplete, Flourite or ADA substrates? What made you go with soil/gravel?

[succinctfish]

@danakinskyrocker Soil is dirt cheap ;) , and it's a big tank. It was a continued exploration on using soil, we did different soil combinations in various tanks, adding peat to one ,some flourite to another etc.. Flourite hardens the water and increases the alkalinity, and in this instance we wanted soft, acidic water for the fish in the tank to better match their natural conditions.

[onyblonx]

@succinctfish - Thank you for your prompt response xD

lol, Im just joshing you thank you for responding at all :D

It is sad that they are gone but we all struggle with keeping our "addiction" in check :)

You have a gift for aquascaping

[succinctfish]

@eepruls Thanks! With this type of tank, with a soil and then gravel substrate, I don't clean the tank per se, I use a python and wave the end attachment gently on top of the gravel when doing a partial water change, always looking out for fry, especially from the apistogramma and ramirezi which lay their eggs at the bottom level of the tank.

[succinctfish]

@lolustupid There are glass lids on the tank. I did have a fish I moved from this tank to the adjacent 65 gallon decide it would much rather go back its former home, and proceeded to successfully make the jump. That was something to see.

[succinctfish]

@bob12321231 Canister filters, two of them, as well as two Marineland bio wheels which run off the canisters and provide additional biological filtering. Which is to say that they help put the good stuff (aerobic bacteria) into the tank, while filtering out the junk :)

[succinctfish]

@flyinggimpproduction No, unlike neon tetras, which the angelfish would find a tasty snack, cardinals are larger and they swim in the same waters with angelfish in the wild. Additionaly, these cardinals were full grown when put in the tank, and one of the beauties of a natural planted tank is that there are plenty of hiding spaces

[succinctfish]

@welcomegohome Yes, it will adhere over time, you can tie it on with monofilament (fishing line) to get it started, or put a stone on top of part of it, or just jam it into the driftwood in a notch or crack. It provides a great ecosystem for fry and adds texture to the tank.

[succinctfish]

@Psittac20 The seven angels in this tank were reduced to 4: 1 pair of koi and 1 silver veil tailed pair, the others were moved out. It was inevitable, they are cichlids after all. It was a shame as they looked so lovely as a group, but once they choose mates and start laying eggs they get quite territorial.

The couch is a sectional: it faces two peaceful views, the river outside and the aquariums inside.