75g Community - 2 months old now.
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You can use any glass fishbowl or vase. You just need to burp it and refill with fresh oxygen/air every so often. I think someone had one that was tilted at an angle with a rock inside, so that the crab could enter and climb onto the rock to out of the water...
Or even just some hornwort, which likes best just to float 
It looks its best when it's bushy and on the surface like that. I would think using any floaters that reproduce by runners such as salvinia, water lettuce (which I thought didn't do so well in closed top aquariums, but I might be wrong) and Amazon frogbit will block out too much light and make your other plants unhappy.
Interesting setup. I seldom see an UG setup using all the holes available for uplifts. Do you feel it works out better that way? I thought two powerheads on either end would draw sufficiently from the middle areas in a 4' tank.
Also, I thought with UGs you needed a rather deep gravel bed - but yours seems quite shallow. Intentional? Oh and is there something under your gravel, it looks almost like Laterite or something!
I have 6 tanks running - out of those, one uses UG, a 29 gallon tank. Sometimes I put a HOB canister on there for polishing but usually it and lots of fast growing plants are the only filtration. I kind of like how compared to the others, it's not sparkling clean - it looks really seasoned. It's a great tank for livebearers. It even gets some direct sun, so it grows lots of algae which they pick away at.
So while overall I'm not a huge fan of UG or gravel in general, I keep one and am very happy with it. I can see it working very well for certain situations, but personally I'd rather have sand sloped high on one end low on the other, and put the filter on the low end so that it collects the detritus that accumulates there. IMO too much detritus collects in the spaces between gravel, and sand just looks more natural to me. But UG still has a place in the hobby, I think
It looks its best when it's bushy and on the surface like that. I would think using any floaters that reproduce by runners such as salvinia, water lettuce (which I thought didn't do so well in closed top aquariums, but I might be wrong) and Amazon frogbit will block out too much light and make your other plants unhappy.Interesting setup. I seldom see an UG setup using all the holes available for uplifts. Do you feel it works out better that way? I thought two powerheads on either end would draw sufficiently from the middle areas in a 4' tank.
Also, I thought with UGs you needed a rather deep gravel bed - but yours seems quite shallow. Intentional? Oh and is there something under your gravel, it looks almost like Laterite or something!
I have 6 tanks running - out of those, one uses UG, a 29 gallon tank. Sometimes I put a HOB canister on there for polishing but usually it and lots of fast growing plants are the only filtration. I kind of like how compared to the others, it's not sparkling clean - it looks really seasoned. It's a great tank for livebearers. It even gets some direct sun, so it grows lots of algae which they pick away at.
So while overall I'm not a huge fan of UG or gravel in general, I keep one and am very happy with it. I can see it working very well for certain situations, but personally I'd rather have sand sloped high on one end low on the other, and put the filter on the low end so that it collects the detritus that accumulates there. IMO too much detritus collects in the spaces between gravel, and sand just looks more natural to me. But UG still has a place in the hobby, I think
Once again everybody, thank you for the comments and advice.
I'll be adding some floaters this weekend for sure.
Platytudes: I am a big fan of UG but have learned over the years that the range of parameters they are effective and reliable in is narrow. Once in that range it is really just "plug and play"
Here is what I mean:
1..use the most risers you can
2..use coarse bubble stones and change them every two months
3..for the 75 I use a Rena 300, plenty of capacity and clean the filter monthly
4..stock with plenty of bottom feeders, cories and loaches (I have 11 Otos, 10 Bronze Cories, 1 Albino Cory and 1 Clown Loach plus four Fidlers, just added two more)
5..plant the tank heavy
6..have plenty of MTS to agitate and clean the gravel
7..when doing water changes add the new water down the risers to flush out under the filter screens
8..and of course, do not over feed
9..I can view the bottom of my tank from underneath....that is always re-assuring
10.might try some CA worms, not sure.....jury is still out on that one.
Re substrate. There is 25lb natural gravel followed by 12lb Flora Base followed by 20lbs of Eco Complete topped with another 25lb natural gravel. Good filtration and a great start for plants etc.
Fishycat: That is a nice piece isn't it? It has hiding holes and plenty of places to tie plants. The crabs climb up it to sunbathe at the top. I can get my hands on tons, literally tons of driftwood...it gets to the point that I get stockpiles so big I end up having a bonfire...each piece always looks better than the last!!!!!!!! I use Kent Blackwater additive to give the tank a mellow look.
I'm at work here and need to get out on site. So thanks again everybody.
I'll be adding some floaters this weekend for sure.
Platytudes: I am a big fan of UG but have learned over the years that the range of parameters they are effective and reliable in is narrow. Once in that range it is really just "plug and play"
Here is what I mean:
1..use the most risers you can
2..use coarse bubble stones and change them every two months
3..for the 75 I use a Rena 300, plenty of capacity and clean the filter monthly
4..stock with plenty of bottom feeders, cories and loaches (I have 11 Otos, 10 Bronze Cories, 1 Albino Cory and 1 Clown Loach plus four Fidlers, just added two more)
5..plant the tank heavy
6..have plenty of MTS to agitate and clean the gravel
7..when doing water changes add the new water down the risers to flush out under the filter screens
8..and of course, do not over feed
9..I can view the bottom of my tank from underneath....that is always re-assuring
10.might try some CA worms, not sure.....jury is still out on that one.
Re substrate. There is 25lb natural gravel followed by 12lb Flora Base followed by 20lbs of Eco Complete topped with another 25lb natural gravel. Good filtration and a great start for plants etc.
Fishycat: That is a nice piece isn't it? It has hiding holes and plenty of places to tie plants. The crabs climb up it to sunbathe at the top. I can get my hands on tons, literally tons of driftwood...it gets to the point that I get stockpiles so big I end up having a bonfire...each piece always looks better than the last!!!!!!!! I use Kent Blackwater additive to give the tank a mellow look.
I'm at work here and need to get out on site. So thanks again everybody.
Dangerdoll
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