Chris' Jungle - Proof that budget works

[mr_c265]

Basically, this is my big 4ft tank.

Tank is 4ft x 1 x 1.5 ( i think thats right)
Lighting is 2 x 36W T8
Filters are 2 Eheim 2012's (that are so clogged with $#@! that they aren't running at the time of shooting)
No CO2
DIY Fertilizer - Daily to 3 times a week, varies
Soil and Vermiculite under the Pool Filter Sand (about 5 and a 1/2 years old now)
Dino spit and dino dung

Ph 7.4
very soft water hardened to medium on some water changes


Most of the plants came from aquagreen, most of the fish from livefish.com.au

And excuse my awful photography skills. (especially the panorama *cringe*)

Panorama



The most crowded part


The boss of the tank (no the colour isn't a photo illusion, he looks like that)


Duckweed before clean



After clean


So... who says you need expensive stuff to grow plants?

Also, the tank gets very infrequent water changes and everyone seems happy, especially me.

[pleco4me]

Nice one Chris, I like the group of tiger barbs.

So... who says you need expensive stuff to grow plants?

Well, people wanting to keep pretty and difficult stem plants will agree that the right equipment is crucial for success. I believe the growth of your plants would be assisted by carbon addition as well as a stronger light source. That way they won't grow as leggy.

Budget setups can work for people wanting to keep very basic plants, but try growing something more exotic and it will simply not work.

[tetra]

nice budget tanks what moss is 2nd pic look like blanket moss

[atwistedlife]

Great work Chris, stunning , I love wild Jungle tanks. Hmmm I need to get some pics in of mine again soon.

[mr_c265]

Nice one Chris, I like the group of tiger barbs.



Well, people wanting to keep pretty and difficult stem plants will agree that the right equipment is crucial for success. I believe the growth of your plants would be assisted by carbon addition as well as a stronger light source. That way they won't grow as leggy.

Budget setups can work for people wanting to keep very basic plants, but try growing something more exotic and it will simply not work.

I have a confession, i routinely have to trim long leafless bottoms off the stems because i don't have high light, true. I also have a slightly browning hair grass. But the point of this tank wasn't to grow rare or hard plants, most of them are quite easy (minus the Aponogeton, eleocharis, and HM), it was just to grow basic plants without all the expenses.

My next tank i'd like to give it a bit of CO2 and see how i go, i still like my sub better than commercial ones though. It'd be nice to have the plants grow a little bit bushier too, i have a pile of leafless trimmed stems in a tub outside seeing if they will grow leaves or roots!

Tetra, the second photo moss is US fissiden, theres just an unfortunate amount of algae on that area of the glass.

[mr_c265]

Cheers Leigh!

You made many changes since last time? Funny enough it was your tank that made me decide i didn't need to rescape the tank this year and make it all neat like, only yours is a pile neater than mine :P

[atwistedlife]

Oh sweet, glad my tank was useful for something Just took a snap of mine, my photo skills are far worse than yours, mine turned out all washed out, will upload it in here now so you can have a peek.

[atwistedlife]

What lights you got on that tank, the LEDs you were making?

[mr_c265]

Whoops, missed this, no at the moment its got 2*36 W T8's, replacing with LED spotlights in a few days/weeks/whenever i make a mounting for it. The LED's are for a smaller tank that is currently very very dark :P

[mr_c265]

I've gone a little off the rails at the moment... Cranked out some serious DIY and now i have a couple of little suns in my garage. (yes suns, not sons...)

Bottom Tank with the DIY light, top tank still has the t8's


Both tanks DIY Lights, top is 3 (soon to be 4) LED spotlights, hopefully growth is going to improve...


Also the duckweed got a little annoying, so i thoroughly annihlated it.

[mr_c265]

bit of an update.

DIY CO2 now.

4 * 20W LED Floods

and now full of rare plants

Heres a piccy:



And theres about 40-50 species of plants in here i do believe.

[mr_c265]

On another note:

Been growing some of my plants outside.

Found a few quirky things,



Rotala Mexicana green ( i think thats what that is, or maybe nanjanshen ) appears to really like the cold and full sunlight.

Rotala wallichi does too, just a little different to how i expected

[2Toned]

Well Done, Chris! I love low-tech.

[mr_c265]

Well Done, Chris! I love low-tech.

Cheers!

Funny you should post on this, that tub in the last 2 pictures has your substrate in it, couple of modifications, but its all there and damn the plants are growing well with it! E. latifolius keeps appearing in it and i have to keep moving it out, it grows too well.

[2Toned]

Cool! There's heaps of room for variation in the sub, as long as you stay with the basics. No two of mine have been identical. This works for you and that's what's important. And of course, the sh*tload of $$ saved