PJAN

Hello all,

Let me introduce myself.
I'm already working on aquascapes for over two years. Maybe even three.
The first year I learned how to grow plants. I did a lot of experimenting stuff, played with plants and algae. After one year I was able to setup a tank within 6 weeks with no algae and good plant growth. I repeated it a few times ( yeah, every six weeks a new aquascape....lot of work) just to be sure I was ready for real aquascaping.

My big tank was a little too big ...( 672 litres / 172 Gallons) so I decided to build a new tank. It had to be a smaller one, because I always needed a small ladder to do maintenance in the big tank. Hurts your back when planting Glosso ( get the picture )

The stand - lights
Inspirated by Amano's Gallery in Japan, I did some DIY with wood and paint :



After finishing the stand, the open top 90 Gallon rimless tank arrived and was tested....
I borrowed a pendant ( Aquamedic 4 x 54 Watt T5) and did some measurements.



I replaced the pendant for a flatter one ( local brand ) and this pendant with 6 x 54 Watt T5 did very well.



So, the the technical issues were solved, and the tank was ready for aquascaping. You can see on the next picture I just was growing some plants.



There is a lott of fancy stuff in the stand.... for the techno-freaks, take a look :


From left to right :
UV-lamp ( 11 Watt)
CO2-reactor ( Aquamedic 1000)
Eheim Pro II with internal heater
CO2 pressurized
Light computer ( for the dimmable T5 pendant)
CO2 computer / dosing computer
3x dosing pumps Aquamedic with liquid holders

I don't use the dosing system, it's handy during a long holliday.
Yeah, when was my last holliday..... two years ago??

The aquascaping

I had a good idea what I wanted to make. But it took me a while to find the right wood and stones. In the meantime I was just growing some plants and keeping fish as everyone does...nothing new here
Ok, I did find the right stuff, now it's aquascaping time !

A short journal :






I re-arranged some plants, wood and stones. The island-concept wasn't working ok with the green Lotus.

To give you better idea of the tank, here's a picture of the whole tank :



The top view is amazing of this tank. Picture with dimmed T5 's :





The Lotus is flowering almost every week. It's Nymphaea glandulifera, South-America and will flower during the night..... So I had to take pictures in the middle of the night. Lights on please



In the night.... you can see something like this :



The final result of the aquascape for this year




So, now you now all... A lott of pictures.

Last note

Some people will recognize my tank...
Be gentle with me... I'm in the middle of moving to a bigger house. I had to tear down my tank. I wasn't able to get another aquascape ready...between AGA and APC, the tank is empty ...
I even doubt I can manage the ADA 2006...

Have fun !
Regards, PJAN

tsunami

I really like this photo. It shows that this layout is not just part of a pretty picture, but an elegant and beautiful addition to the home it resides in. Congratulations on the spectacular work and look forward to seeing more aquascapes from you in the future, Jan.

Carlos

ranmasatome

Jan... i am very inerested on where you got that t5 fixture...let me know ..pretttty please??

SnyperP

PJAN! Welcome to APC. We were just talking about you the other day. One of our members was looking in T5HO lighting and i directed him towards your tank. I'm looking forward to the new scape after you settle into your new home!

standoyo

hi Pjan,
looks like underwater work of art...beautiful healthy plants...
love the t5 luminaire as well...

stan

balloon_fish

wow, that is amazing

What is the name of the green lotus you have in your last few pics? Is this the same plant? http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/aucti...tsr&1133532608

keep up the good work

Rek

fantastic

PJAN

Thanks for the warm welcome and yes, I will make more aquascapes.

The tank + stand is an absolute joy to work with. Very easy maintenance.
It's not in my nature ( ) to get things very organized, but this time I went for "perfection". I really must admit that an organized stand with equipment ( scissors, tweesers etc) and correct placed hardware ( UV, CO2) is very very handy.
The only but is..... my house. I had only one free wall to place the tank against. I small place with an ugly electricity socket and two doors just near the tank. But, hey, in the new house that last "displaying" problem will be solved.

Well, brand name is ATI ( Germany). I can buy it from my LFS and I really don't know if you can buy it elsewhere.
Website : http://www.atiaquaristik.com/

No, it's not the same plant.
This green Lotus is called Nymphaea glandulifera, origin South-America and a rare species.

Regards, PJAN

Ricardo Pinto

Hi!

Your aquarium is really impressive.

I'd like to know the measures of your aquarium if possible.

and

What do you think about the use of t5 lightning in planted aquarium with more than 20 inch height?

Ati lightning system's is really amazing. I already knew it from reef aquariums. However i had never saw it in planted aquariums.

Regards,
Ricardo

Ps: Sorry my bad english.

PJAN

Bad English? Try to read mine

I forgot to post some technical details of the tank.
Here it comes :

size : 120 L x 50 H x 60 W in cm ( 48 x 20 x 24 inch )
volume : 360 litres / 90 gallons or so
Substrate : gravel with some peat

T5 is very suitable for higher tanks. With good reflectors you can grow also Glosso or so on the bottom without any problems.
In my case, the 6 x 54 Watt T5's are giving a litle bit too much light.
But the ballasts are dimmable and I can adjust the output ( 0 - 100%).

Some specs of the lamps :
6 x 54 Watt T5 (6000 Kelvin lamps)

100% : 69000 lux at 15 cm beneath the pendant

Summer at 14.00h, blue sky : 71000 lux

So it's almost if the full sun is shining in the tank... A lot of light and I only use 3 hours at 100%.

Regards, PJAN