#53: 450L Aquatic Garden

Ilkka Kallio San Jose, United States

Awards and Comments

Honorable Mention
Plants look very healthy. I like the idea of the sump tank. It is nice that the substrate is made invisible by the trimming
— Wim van Drongelen
Camouflage left background corner.
Many bottom dwelling fish species.
Inventive sump use!
— Pim Wilhelm
Here is another exemplary entry. The plants are in vibrant good health and the the plant groupings show wonderful diversity of color and shape. I would prefer to see a few of the fish that supposedly inhabit the tank but perhaps they just weren't cooperating!
— Karen Randall

Aquascape Details

Dimensions 122 × 61 × 61 cm
Volume 450L
Background Black posterboard.
Lighting 2 x 96 + 2 * 55 compact fluorescent
Filtration Sump tank with 4 gallon trickle filter (lava rock) and 6 gallon wet filter (polyester fiber filter floss). Rio 2500 powerhead pumps water back to main tank.
Plants Cryptocoryne beckettii,
Ludwigia arcuata,
Echinodorus 'rubin',
Hygrophila difformis,
Micranthemum micranthemoides,
Bacopa caroliana,
Hygrophila corymbosa "Kompakt",
Glossostigma elatinoides,
Hygrophila corymbosa,
Cryptocoryne lucens,
Riccia Fluitans,
Potamogeton perfoliatus,
Microsorum pteropus,
Ammania gracilis,
Vallisneria americana "gigantea"
Animals Phenacogrammus Interruptus,
Poecilia schenops,
Corydoras paleatus,
Botia macracantha,
Betta sp. (homegrown ;-),
Crossocheilus siamensis,
Otocinclus vittatus,
Ancistrus temminckii,
Jordanella floridae
Materials Massive piece of driftwood,
Large "lava rock",
Substrate: 60% Flourite plus 40% Profile and a
dash of peat. Substrate depth is 10 to 15 cm.
Substrate is topped with a 2.5 cm layer of
medium size aquarium gravel.
Additional Information Sump tank is large (40 G) with submerged potted
plants and reverse light cycle. This arrangement
lessens daily CO2 and O2 level fluctuations. Sump
tank has 2 x 55 W compact fluorescent lighting.

Pressurized CO2 injection with "Tom Barr" model reactor.

Fertilization is PMDD; based on measured (LaMotte
test kit) NO3 levels augmented with some careful
substrate fertilization via Jobes plant food
sticks (Ferns & Palms variety). Targeted NO3
range is 5-10 ppm.

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