Your Low Tech Setup and it's Success (or lack of!)

[Molino]

My low-tech tank is a 10 gallon tank with the standard 13 watt flourescent bulb. For plants I originally had just Java Ferns and Anubias Nana. The Java Ferns are all tiny offshoots from my big plant and are hardly growing.

I've also added some clippings from my other planted tank including Bacopa which is doing well. Since the picture below I have also added more Java Fern offshoots and a Cryptocoryne which is also doing very well.

In the picture it shows a CO2 diffuser, but it is no longer in use. I have yet to prune the plants, and do not add any fertilizers.

 

[kveeti]

Starry - Actually, I was interested, thank you. I thought I remembered reading somewhere that crispus didn't need a dormant period like many of the other aponogetons. I don't know if I have the patience to wait for it, or if in my set-up the bulb is healthy enough to revive.

Superjohnny & Molino, those are both great looking tanks. Molino, what's that little pink and yellow thing on the left? It looks like a little statue or else the light is just playing tricks on my eyes.

 

[Molino]

kveeti: That small yellow and pink thing on the left is actually a tiny Anubias Nana attached to a pink rock that I'm trying to nurse back to health. I put it on top of the decoration so it would be closer to the light.

 

[Starry]

Originally posted by kveeti
Starry - Actually, I was interested, thank you. I thought I remembered reading somewhere that crispus didn't need a dormant period like many of the other aponogetons. I don't know if I have the patience to wait for it, or if in my set-up the bulb is healthy enough to revive.

Most aponogetons out there aren't pure strains, so just because it looks like a crispus doesn't mean it acts like one. I've heard of people propagating ulvaceus by seed, but true ulvaceus are self-sterile. So with apons you never really know what you get. I'd leave it in the tank and see what happens. Maybe move it somewhere where it gets light, but also a little shade. If it does sprout again, make sure to put it somewhere where it gets light until it grows a bit. They're not sensitive to being moved, at least in my experience. Just don't bury the bulb.
Healthy bulbs are lighter coloured and firm. If it goes black and mushy, it's gone for good.

 

[SnakeIce]

my low tech, cause I didn;t know about high tech at the time I got the tank is all of my tanks.

this last spring I had a tank full of a common hygrophila, it was every where, one melon sword, three aponagetons sp???, an anubias nana, some java moss, and some egeria densa,

I decided that I would do a trim, aquascaping somthing and took out a lot of the hygro, well shortly after that the water(city water) changed sources to a hard high ph water for the summer and I have been growing algea very well since then.

at the moment the planted aspect of the tank is a flop. I removed to much from the tank and then the water changed on top of that and the plants couldn't recover.

so now I have plans to remove most of what is in the tank plant wise, because the egeria(already gone), melon sword, and to some degree the aponagetons are not low light plants.... my knowlege about the whole plants in tanks is a work in progress

I have some low light friendly plants ordered and should be here tomorrow. i should have then some hornwort, a hygro sp, dwarf sag, java fern and cripts wendtii and undulatus

my tank was ok back last spring but I had the feeling that I was trying to grow plants that only just had enough light if the flourescent bulbs were almost new

so hopefully this time things will go abit better

check the link at bottom for my tank specs

 

[Matak]

My lo-tech (check my tank specs, below) includes RFUGF and RO flourescents. I am at 3 watts per gallon and a home made substrate. The only thing I am currently doing is water changes and my plants are doing fine

 

[PikeLee]

I was going to post my recent picture of my 90g, but rather than post the picture here. I’ll just send you the link to my site:

Recent Pic:
http://www.freewebs.com/pikelee/mytanks.htm
First Pic (Scroll down):
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forum...?threadid=13049

This is the most recent picture I took. As you can see there’s a big difference from the first picture I took.

With the whole “Low-Tech” idea from Walstad, she was mentioning how she does very infrequent water changes. Maybe once every 4 –6 months if I can recall correctly. Does anyone have this kind of maintenance schedule and have a successful tank? I noticed everyone has been posting weekly water changes. But from my understanding, I thought the whole deal with the “Low-Tech” was also Low Maintenance.

I have been doing monthly or bi-monthly water changes, but that’s only because I have apistos in the tank. To be honest with you, I don’t think they need it. I’m going to try and go 2 months this time and see what happens.

I remember PlantBrains has posted some sort of formula on how to maintain the “Low-tech” tank. But I can’t seem to find it in the “Search”. Anyone remember seeing it or got it copied down?

 

[RTR]

ALL of my tanks get weekly partials, FO, planted, plenum, high or low tech. If I can't or won't maintain the water quality, I won't set the tank. I learned the difference in regular partials and infrequent partials about 40 years ago, it is far too late to change my mind on that.

All IMHO & IME, YMMV.

 

[MrGoodbytes]

I wouldn't call it a planned tank, but I have a 10gal underneath my 35 gallon with 30W NOF light and no CO2. I just gow stuff in there from cuttings and I usually do water changes whenever I feel like it. The animal bioload consists of 3 amano shrimp with an 8L 50/50 mix of sphagnum/topsoil. The plants are quite vigorous and anlgae are not really an issue.

Graeme

 

[PikeLee]

Hope I didn’t strike a nerve there RTR. Just trying to stay on topic with what The Gipper was getting at. Most of the time when people mention “Low-Tech”, it’s in reference to Walstad’s book. Low Maint/expense. Of course everyone has made there little changes. Like I did with using profile and fluorite instead of regular topsoil or peat.

But water changes cost money and time. Especially if you’re using RO.

I understand that the tanks benefit greatly from water changes. I remember when I was trying to get rid of the BGA, I did water changes like twice in a week. And once I did, I had some of my plants pearling. That’s w/o CO2. But my whole angle, and I think this is what’s The Gipper is getting at, is the whole inexpensive and low maintenance thing in relation to Walstad’s book. But I could be wrong…

I guess that’s my idea of the “low-tech”. But when I was doing research when I was setting up my tank I found a couple of sites where people followed the same path and had a great success with it. I’m bummed out that I can’t find those sites right now, but one of them actually showed a photographic diary. You can see from picture to picture that the plants were flourishing. And if I can recall, fish actually spawned, as my apistos did in my tank.

As mentioned before, that’s my angle at the “low-tech”. I guess I’m just hoping to see others with their success at the same angle.

Take it easy.