Journal Long-winded ramblings about Dutch-style aquascaping

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I got the Tor's from Ryan Reamy, and the Tri's are habgood river. This was right after a water change and late at night, so everyone was a little spooked. I'll have to get some better pictures of the 'bows.

It sounds like it may be a good idea to thin out the stocking a bit. I feed a lot and haven't noticed any aggression, but it does seem like growth is not as quick as I'd expect.
The growth is VERY slow......but steady and they keep growing for years. Keep in mind it's not uncommon for Bows to live a decade or more.

Habgood are one of my favorites. I don't have any now as I don't have room for more. But here's a pic of fully mature adult male from a few years back. They just get better and better!

Melanotaenia Trifasciata Habgood River.jpg
 
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I recently rehomed some plants languishing in a wabi kusa to this tank, so it is less Dutch and more collectoritis for now.

I don't like this tank very much. The glass is not super clear, the dimensions are awkward (too tall, and not deep enough). Worst of all, it's in our spare bedroom so I barely get to spend time with it throughout the day. I want a tank in my office in the basement instead.

I think 4 feet is a good width, but I would love something about 24" deep and maybe 18" high. Ideally with nicer glass than an aqueon tank too.

I don't know yet whether I want to go for the rimless look or a full canopy, but rimmed without a canopy is ugly as sin IMO.

Any suggestions for a tank and stand I should go for? I'm finally gainfully employed again so budget is not as big of a consideration.
 
Have a look at the UNS brands. I almost went with them but wanted to get away from canisters. Also, look at tanks marketed to saltwater. Innovative marine, Red Sea reefer and Aqua Box.
At the end of the day, my local saltwater shop had awesome tanks with prices delivered and installed I should have gone with. They do custom too which was probably the best option for me.
 
The closest tanks to the dimensions I'm looking for are the Red Sea Reefer XL 425 and VIV 120C. The UNS 120U is close as well. The first is by far the most expensive, but also comes with a stand and all the bells and whistles - sump, ATO, etc. Stands for tanks of that size are pushing $1000 so I don't know how much less expensive the others would end up being.
 
The closest tanks to the dimensions I'm looking for are the Red Sea Reefer XL 425 and VIV 120C. The UNS 120U is close as well. The first is by far the most expensive, but also comes with a stand and all the bells and whistles - sump, ATO, etc. Stands for tanks of that size are pushing $1000 so I don't know how much less expensive the others would end up being.
Yeah, those big name salt water tanks are unfortunately. But bells and whistles come with it. Look at innovative Marine, but double check the dimensions as they misprinted mine and now stuck with an 18.2 width.
 
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@gjcarew I would caution you with the RedSea aquariums. There were a lot of reports of them sprouting a leak.

I went with a Waterbox Aquarium and I'm happy with it. The stand is a tank and well built. The aquarium as well. I got the AIO.
 
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Always nice to see what the tank looks like after some time away. I did a big trim and water change right before I left almost a month ago, and it filled in pretty well.

There are of course things that could be improved upon but seeing it after so long away really allows me to appreciate the beauty of the plants and fish.
 
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Always nice to see what the tank looks like after some time away. I did a big trim and water change right before I left almost a month ago, and it filled in pretty well.

There are of course things that could be improved upon but seeing it after so long away really allows me to appreciate the beauty of the plants and fish.
Damn, that’s beautiful man. It has a very classic feel to it.
 
View attachment 4562
Always nice to see what the tank looks like after some time away. I did a big trim and water change right before I left almost a month ago, and it filled in pretty well.

There are of course things that could be improved upon but seeing it after so long away really allows me to appreciate the beauty of the plants and fish.
Tank is looking awesome!! Love the color rendition.
 
Okay this may be a dumb question, but what does the Nymphaea need to stay so compact to the substrate?
 
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Crazy it's been more than 2 months, I definitely thought I'd posted here.

I've been having major CO2 issues - no CO2 was being injected. I assumed my cheapo $99 amazon regulator finally bit it so I ordered a fancy reg. That one ended up leaking, so I had to wait on parts. Once I got it fixed I found out that the injection was not working because of a clogged inline diffuser - it was never the regulator at all!

So I bought a reactor so I wouldn't have to worry about that in the future, but the reactor won't fit in my stand, so I ended up just going to the LFS and getting a nano tank diffuser because it's been close to a month sans CO2.

Anyways, the tank is looking a bit sad right now and I've had low motivation since I've been working on my (outdoor) garden so much.

I'm going to try to get it spruced up this week.
 
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Crazy it's been more than 2 months, I definitely thought I'd posted here.

I've been having major CO2 issues - no CO2 was being injected. I assumed my cheapo $99 amazon regulator finally bit it so I ordered a fancy reg. That one ended up leaking, so I had to wait on parts. Once I got it fixed I found out that the injection was not working because of a clogged inline diffuser - it was never the regulator at all!

So I bought a reactor so I wouldn't have to worry about that in the future, but the reactor won't fit in my stand, so I ended up just going to the LFS and getting a nano tank diffuser because it's been close to a month sans CO2.

Anyways, the tank is looking a bit sad right now and I've had low motivation since I've been working on my (outdoor) garden so much.

I'm going to try to get it spruced up this week.
That’s one hell of a tank sir!
 
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