# Ancient Relic?



## fish dork (Apr 21, 2010)

It's a cucumber! The BNPs love it. Try as I might I couldn't get him with his fins up in defense mode. There are 3 of them in there.














































A full tank shot


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## fish dork (Apr 21, 2010)

The BNP are from Pat at Canadian Aquatics


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## Momobobo (Sep 28, 2010)

That is a very nice tank...very interesting scape!


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## Ebonbolt (Aug 12, 2011)

Did they eat eat through that cucumber or did you poke that hole in it? and did you blanch it or something before putting it in, or is it raw?


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## fish dork (Apr 21, 2010)

They eat through it... usually pretty quickly. Half a day or so.


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

Beautiful tank and VERY clever BNP  What else lives in the tank with them?


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## fish dork (Apr 21, 2010)

There are various cories, debauwi cats (Pareutropius buffei), congo tetra, rummy nose and cardinal tetra. And also a trio of german rams.

And thanks!


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## CGY_Betta_Guy (Jun 2, 2010)

Its the Stargate! 

nobody in my tanks seem to like cucumbers.


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

Beautiful tank you have! Cucumbers and Zucchini are the most popular veggies in my tanks as well lol


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## rich16 (Mar 25, 2011)

Great looking tank, and excellent photo!


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## fish dork (Apr 21, 2010)

Thanks! These plecos like zuchinni, yams and watermelon too


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## Shiyuu (Apr 9, 2011)

Watermelon with the white skin part? or you just toss in the whole piece of watermelon?


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## Tazzy_toon (Jul 25, 2011)

do you have to blanch the cucumber too?


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## fish dork (Apr 21, 2010)

The watermelon has been just the red part. I cut it into cubes for the kidlet so I just grab a cube and use a wood skewer stuck down into the substrate. I don't blanch the cucumber... it just goes in raw. I do blanch Zuchinni, yams and brocolli stems before they go in.


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## SGmenace (Apr 25, 2010)

excellent scape! care to tell us some technical details about your set up?


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## fish dork (Apr 21, 2010)

I should take some new pics... and do another journal I suppose. It was all on here, but through the last couple of site crashes I just haven't redone it.

It's an 80 gal tank. Filtration is 2 RENA XP3. Pressurized CO2. I dose macros and micros, as well as Calcium and Magnesium. Lighting is a total of 4 T5... 2 are on in the back in the morning and 2 in the front for the afternoon. I'm using Geissman Midday and Aquaflora bulbs. Substrate is a mix of worm castings and coco peat with a couple of dry ferts mixed in topped with gravel. 

This current setup is a bit over 2 years and some of the plants (the swords mostly) are showing depletion of the substrate nutrients. I'm planning on adding some homemade root tabs to help with this.


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## SGmenace (Apr 25, 2010)

Thanks for sharing! 
just curious as to why you don't have all for t5's on during you lighting period? algae?

I would love, to see a few more pics with the lights on


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## jay_leask (Apr 22, 2010)

fish dork said:


> They eat through it... usually pretty quickly. Half a day or so.


my clown loaches do the same thing. awesome set up you have there


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## -DC- (Apr 21, 2010)

Wow , Great looking tank, i love the plant look so good i was going too ask f they are real or fake! 


Nice shots but i've got too say say amazing work with the plants! I'm going too convert my 100g into a planted if i ever get around too it lol, i hope it looks half as nice as this and i'd be happy!


Mind sharing what plants are in it ??


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## monkE (Aug 4, 2010)

great looking tank! awesome pictures, i've always cut my zucchini long wise, but i'm going to try to cut it like that and see if they chew their way through! thanks for posting.


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## trevorhoang (Oct 13, 2010)

CUCUMBER!!! or zuchinni?


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## Ebonbolt (Aug 12, 2011)

trevorhoang said:


> CUCUMBER!!! or zuchinni?


Either or, doesn't make a huge dif to the plecos, they'll knaw thru it regardless.


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## fish dork (Apr 21, 2010)

SGmenace said:


> Thanks for sharing!
> just curious as to why you don't have all for t5's on during you lighting period? algae?
> 
> I would love, to see a few more pics with the lights on


It started with full lights... but now it's loaded with plants. I does help with the algae, and the bonus is slower plant growth. I also started with little bits of plants and grew them out for a couple of years.



-DC- said:


> Wow , Great looking tank, i love the plant look so good i was going too ask f they are real or fake!
> 
> Nice shots but i've got too say say amazing work with the plants! I'm going too convert my 100g into a planted if i ever get around too it lol, i hope it looks half as nice as this and i'd be happy!
> 
> Mind sharing what plants are in it ??


The plants are kind of bouncing back. I was without a source for CO2 for about 6 months. I still have some BBA that I'm trying to get rid of. I will take a some new pics in the light soon.

Plant list: Hygro. Difformis, Jungle val, Java fern, java fern Wendtii, rotala rotundifolia, java moss, starougyne repens, E. tennulus, Amazon sword, Crypt Wendtii, Crypt pontederiifolia, Anubius barteri coffeefolia.

I think that's it... all the easy stuff!! I lost a few species due to the lack of CO2.


monkE said:


> great looking tank! awesome pictures, i've always cut my zucchini long wise, but i'm going to try to cut it like that and see if they chew their way through! thanks for posting.


I do it both ways too.

Thanks all for looking!!


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