A Planted Tank With Aesthetics
A Planted Tank With Aesthetics
Written by Saturday, 28 December 2002 00:00
I begun to keep fish around 1975. It was the average one tank with mixed species, occasional discovery of fry, frustration after occasional disappearing of fry, usually overcrowded, with fish losses. I think the fact that made me take the whole thing more seriously was when I saw a Tanganyikan tank in a public aquarium in Brussels. There was not a single plant in there, but the aquascape was perfect. Rock background, big piles of rocks covered with algae, white sand, and colonies of Neolamprologus brichardi of every size swimming around, and you could not see one piece of equipment. I bought a book. Then I bought another one. Then I bought another tank. Then it started... I was living in Belgium at the time. I started reading magazines, buying more books, more tanks, became member of aquarist's associations, started breeding ... in brief, the aquarium virus got inside me for ever.
When I came back to Greece I had to constrain myself in only one display tank in my work's rest room. I was very disappointed to discover that the hobby was non existent in Greece. I kept getting magazines and soon I put some more little tanks in a closet next to my main tank. With the arrival of the internet, I was able to contact other aquarists again and talk about my hobby. And thanks to the internet I finally met a few Greek aquarists of the highest level.
My approach to aquariums is, and was even before the plant virus, to make a tank look as much "natural" as possible. Equipement must be hidden, plastic plants and ornaments are out of the question, and fish must be compatible. I like to see "a piece of nature" in there...
This is my tank that won the third place in the recent AGA International Aquascaping Contest. The tank was judged as part of the "large tank" category, which is regarded as the most difficult (it is easier to maintain smaller planted tanks). The tank dimensions (in cm / liters) are: 140(length) x 60(height) x 40(width) - 336 litres (89 gallons) but counting the inner dimensions and subtracting light space and gravel, there are 227 "real" liters (60 gallons) of water there.
The plants in this tank are: Microsorium pteropus, Anubias barteri nana, Valisneria americana "biwaensis", Vesicularia dybuana, Bolbitis heudelotii, Rotala wallichii, Rotala rotundifolia, Rotala sp. "Nanjenshan", Ludwigia repens, Ceratopteris thalictroides, Ceratopteris cornuta, Hygrophila corymbosa "siamensis", Hygrophila corymbosa "Aroma", Hygrophila difformis, Hygrophila polysperma "Rosanevig", Limnophila aquatica, Lobelia cardinalis, Myriophyllum aquaticum, Myriophyllum tuberculatum, Samolus valerandi, Micranthemum umbrosum, Lilaeopsis brasiliensis, Hydrocotyle leucocephala, Glossostigma elatinoides, Elodea densa, Echinodorus tenellus, Echinodorus 'Ozelot', Didiplis diandra, Cryptocoryne willisii, Cryptocoryne balansae, Ceratophyllum demersum, Alternanthera reineckii, Aponogeton crispus, Bacopa monnierii, Crinum calamistratum, and Eleocharis parvulus.
A close up photo of the center of the tank. The careful placing of the plants (short plants in the front, taller plants at the back, use of color) created the impression of depth, a characteristic very much sought after by plant hobbyists. Plants shown in the picture: Echinodorus tenellus (blurred front plant), Bacopa monnieri (middle), Alternanthera reneckii (blurred red plant in the back), Limnophila aquatica (very blurred in the background).
The water parameters and technical specs of the tank are:- Lighting: 6 x 36 watt fluorescent. Combination of warm and cool daylight tubes,
- pH: between 7.0 and 7.2,
- KH: 5,
- GH: 8-10,
- Eheim 2215 canister filter,
- DIY CO2,
- Rena undergravel heating cable, temperature between 25 and 27c,
- Substrate: 3,5 lbs First layer pure laterite and 10 lbs Sera Floredepot topped with 6 cm of 3mm clean gravel,
- Water column fertilisation by Aqualine Buschke Ferreal,
- Jobe's fern spikes,
- 30% water changes every 2 -3 weeks.
The following photos show my "nursery" tanks. This is the place to look for if you want plants for your own tank. These tanks are usually full of cuttings from the main tank. You can also see some of the magic fertilizers I use.
Below are some photos showing how fast the plants will outgrow their tank if not pruned regularly. All photos were taken from the same distance and using the same settings. Time interval between shots is one month.
For additional information, some plant chatting or cuttings you can contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
See more photos of Tolis' work.
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