Matak's tank

Matak

Out of the blue!
Jun 18, 2002
1,133
0
36
66
Near Toronto
Matak's tank - now with pictures!

Pics

Full tank
Sunrise shot
Amano on gravel
Amano on the rocks
Amano, close up


Tank & Water
30 gallon; 36"L X 12"W X 24"D on DIY stand


Filters
12" * 12" Reverse Flow Under Gravel Filter w/ Fluval 1 Plus sponge prefilter
Vortex "Freedom" diatom filter (occasional use)



Substrates
2.5" fine & med. gravel over RFUGF plate (12" * 12")
2" of:
55% fine & med. gravel
20% silica sand
15% red potters clay
10% peat moss
5% seasoned compost
covered w/ 1" - 1.5" of fine & med. gravel (12" * 24" over balance of tank)



Lighting
DIY hood hinged on tank w/fan forced cooling
3 - 20W NF GE wide spectrum plant & aquarium bulbs
2 - 27W CF Sylvania gro-bulbs (not installed yet)
1 - 25W NF 4100K bulb

Photoperiod: 10 AM to 8 PM (10 Hrs.)



CO2 etc.
3 Litres DIY gelatine mix w/champagne yeast
that lasts two full months or more at avg. of >1 bubble/second. CO2 is fed into tube that is between RFUGF pump and UGF plate.

Small Hagen air pump runs on timer from 10 PM to 5 AM to free excess CO2 from tank.




Plants
4 - Amazon swords
large mass of rooted plants (undetermined; from local river)
5 mL of Kents Freshwater Micronutrient Supplement with Iron added twice per week.



Fish
8 - Neon Tetra's
3 - Otocinclus'
0 - Black Molly :( (lost 2 Mollies, 1 fry) No salt is my guess
2 - Siamese Algae Eaters
1 - CAE
2 - Amano Shrimp :) (doing well, molted at least twice)
1 - Dwarf frog :( (haven't seen him since late August, assumed gone)
Total added length of fish - about 22"



This is my first tank in 20 years. It started about June 2002 and is still a work in progress. Everything I know about keeping fish & plants, I learned right here at AC. I couldn't have done it without you guys!
 
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