First post. My tank 5 months in. PICS - El Natural

DelcoFishGeek · 08-07-2008, 08:05 PM

I can't believe how well this tank has gone. never a single problem. had a circulation pump in the corner up until a month ago. i decided to go footloose and filter free. my plants have done just fine. in fact i can't tell the difference without the filter. i also took the lid off when i hung my lights. The lights by the way are from ikea. 4- 12vdc 20 watt lights hanging from a shelf about 12 inches above the water surface. there is a transformer under the tank. i got the lights and transformer on sale at ikea for 48 dollars. the shelf cost me 12 there. the soil is from home depot. the cheep stuff. the gravel cap is flouralite, only because i had it from before i went natural, and it is a beautiful gravel anyway. never do anything but top off the water when it gets low. i was worried at first because most of the plants are anubias, java fern mounted on wood, and java moss. i have some crypts throughout the tank. my worry was the lack of roots in the substrate would cause problems. viewing the soil from the bottom i see no black areas and no bubbling. so guess im ok. i really think the 6 water hyacinths help keeping the water fresh. heres the details if your still alive.. then a few pics..
52 gallon bowfront.
home depot soil, flouralite cap
java fern and moss
anubias
6 water hyacinth
assorted crypts
1paradise gourami
1 honey gourami
1 blue 3 spot gourami
1 10" sotted pike carricin (henry)
between 0 and 24 rosy reds, depending on how hungry the pike is !
2 yoyo loaches
1 upside down catfish
4- 12 volt DC 20 watt ikea lights
no filter, no heater, gets very little real sunlite
many snails lol
never fertilized, water only topped off when evaporated
i threw away all my test kits (seriously)

ferris89 · 08-07-2008, 08:40 PM

nice setup!

davemonkey · 08-08-2008, 04:50 AM

Sounds very maintenance-free. You've got a bunch of good low-light plants in there and the set-up looks nice. It almost makes me want to seriously consider gowing El Natural and Low Tech.

Ivanmx · 08-08-2008, 08:19 AM

look very natural but i dont know if is by the photo but i see few light!!

dwalstad · 08-09-2008, 08:52 AM

Beautiful tank!

And I love the innovation. You have a lighting setup powerful enough to grow water hyacinths indoors. Bravo! These "industrial water purifiers" will most certainly keep the water clean.

Its good that you're closely monitoring the substrate. As long as rooted plants and bottom-dwelling fish are doing okay, then the substrate is probably aerobic enough.

tames · 08-09-2008, 10:00 AM

Who would ever think of using 12 volt lights? Thanks for sharing this with us. Very nice.

plantblr · 08-12-2008, 06:46 AM

Great set up

,

But its too dark in there to see how actually you have set it up.Is it possible for you to have more light just for some pics,so that the internal set up can be seen clearly?

Thanks in advance ....

DelcoFishGeek · 08-12-2008, 07:54 PM

thanks everyone for the kind words. i'm having a hard time getting bright pictures, im no photographer. its frustrating because the aquarium is much brighter looking in real life. but anyway here are a few more pictures.