#58: 210L Aquatic Garden Swordtail forest

Loh Koah Fong Singapore, Singapore

Comments

Another excellent fish tank!! I have no doubt the fish are happy in their home. Overall there seems to be a good intent behind the aquascape. The stemplants in the midground could use some thickening. Try trimming the tops off and replanting them to increase the volume and body of the plantings. The Crypt planting on the right is starting to dominate the aquarium but could quickly be brought back into hand with a good heavy thinning. Doing so will also help illuminate that part of the foreground giving the hairgrass a good chance of moving in. Overall it looks to me as though this aquarium has been quite successful in its intented mission. I'd come to meetings at your office hours early just to get a chance to sit in front of this tank.
— Phil Edwards
Your tank clearly meets your needs in an office tank. I'm sure people are mesmerized by it! From a design perspective it could be improved by a little less stark clumping of the plants.
— Karen Randall
Cryptocoryne in the foreground was too much. There should have been an open space in the foreground.
— Takashi Amano

Aquascape Details

Dimensions 105 × 40 × 50 cm
Title Swordtail forest
Volume 210L
Background Moulded styrofoam stapled with Christmas Moss
Lighting 216W PL Lighting
Filtration Eheim ECCO 2235
Plants Alternanthera reineckii "lilacina", Barclaya longifolia, Blyxa japonica, Crinum calamistratum,
Cryptocoryne sp., Echinodorus 'Oriental', Eleocharis acicularis (Hair Grass), Hygrophila corymbosa "Compact", Hygrophila corymbosa "Stricta", Limnobium laevigatum, Lobelia cardinalis, Proserpinaca palustris "Cuba", Salvinia ariculata,
Vesicularia spec. Bogwood (Christmas Moss)
Animals Apistogramma agassizii, Apistogramma borellii,
Harlequin Rasbora, Dwarf Suckermouth Catfish (Otocinclus Affinis), Lyre-tailed Swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri), Papiliochromis/Microgeophagus ramirezi, Chocolate gourami
Materials Substrate: Cocopeat soil plus JBL base fertiliser (2"); pH neutral sand (1")
Additional Information This tank sits in the reception area of my office. My aim was to create a colourful and yet low maintenance aquascape. The choice of plants used were relatively slower growers except for the floating plants. For fauna, Harlequins were used for their exceptional schooling behaviour. It was a challenge balancing the nutrients with the high lighting and slow growing plants.

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