# I'm sure this is not your typical planted tank :)



## svtcontour

...its the best I can do to keep plants alive. I prefer tanks that are not too brightly light up because I suspect that in the fish's natural habitat, the sun does not shine so bright in the water. Anyway this is the setup and I think the fish like it


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## Calmer

Okay I have been looking at the tank pictures for quite a while and I like it. The chaos of the roots in the water contrasts nicely with the pothos ivy growing on the outside. It has a very natural look about it. The fish must never get bored swimming and playing together amongst all of the roots. The tank water probably is pristine with the ivy taking in a lot of nutrients. The ivy also purifies the air in the room as well. No need for co2 injection to grow plants as it is already in the air and water. Algae would be non existent. A very low maintenance tank and plant - just add water.


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## Prodicus

Nice tank!


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## pat3612

I think thats neat, what a good idea, I bet those fish are happy. Nice fish by the way.


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## Grafix Ink.

wow... like it alot...


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## svtcontour

Wow you were bang on with everything you said. Impressive 

The fish do love it, they dart through the roots while chasing each other (mostly the congos) and I can tell they like doing that as they could easily just go where there are no roots but they shoot straight for them.

Water quality has gotten way better since the plants went in and of course I dont need any crazy lighting to keep them alive (only a single 40w flourescent is enough) and like you said, not a spec of algae  Incredibly low maintenance.

PS. The plants I've had for about 5 years. There are more of them in my 47 gallon...I had to take some out of this tank because it was getting to be too much 



Calmer said:


> Okay I have been looking at the tank pictures for quite a while and I like it. The chaos of the roots in the water contrasts nicely with the pothos ivy growing on the outside. It has a very natural look about it. The fish must never get bored swimming and playing together amongst all of the roots. The tank water probably is pristine with the ivy taking in a lot of nutrients. The ivy also purifies the air in the room as well. No need for co2 injection to grow plants as it is already in the air and water. Algae would be non existent. A very low maintenance tank and plant - just add water.


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## svtcontour

Thanks everyone for the nice comments. I really like doing the tanks this way..for about 5-6 years I've been doing this and it makes the water quality much better. You dont need to add this many plants to keep the water quality good either, I just like the look of it this way. I find even a single vine helps tons


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## JamesG

Great tank! Second thing to come to mind is that it would make a great shrimp tank. With all of those roots twisting around you give them lots of space to graze and not be in a constant territory battle. Also, the excellent water clarity gives you a better view of your creatures. 

This sure beats having duckweed for the "I have no algae because I also have plants that are getting CO2 from the air not just water" coefficient.


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## Chris S

I like it, looks great!


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## svtcontour

Thats a great idea. I might just have to get some shrimp down the road. I'm planning on getting a 220G or larger sometime later this year so once I do that, I'll add some shrimp. I just hope the congos and clown loach wont nibble on the little guys.



JamesG said:


> Great tank! Second thing to come to mind is that it would make a great shrimp tank. With all of those roots twisting around you give them lots of space to graze and not be in a constant territory battle. Also, the excellent water clarity gives you a better view of your creatures.
> 
> This sure beats having duckweed for the "I have no algae because I also have plants that are getting CO2 from the air not just water" coefficient.


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## ameekplec.

Very neat, I like the roots too ! I'm trying to get the same effect with mangrove pods right now, but it's painfully slow.

What's the PVC pipe in one of the pics for?


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## svtcontour

Its actually the inlet for my Eheim 2260 filter. I didnt like using the original supplied pipe 



ameekplec. said:


> Very neat, I like the roots too ! I'm trying to get the same effect with mangrove pods right now, but it's painfully slow.
> 
> What's the PVC pipe in one of the pics for?


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## ameekplec.

Ah. Yeah, I noticed the Classic under the tank too. Great taste in filters!


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## svtcontour

Thanks  the less complicated the better. The idea of a plastic bucket with a powerhead appeals to me 



ameekplec. said:


> Ah. Yeah, I noticed the Classic under the tank too. Great taste in filters!


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## Tropicana

Great tank! gives me some ideas lol mmm may need to alter my Ram breeding tank haha. Sweet


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## characinfan

Gorgeous tank. Well done, everything looks healthy, lively and beautiful!

BTW, it's not ivy, it's a philodendron (_Epipremnum aureum_, commonly known as pothos). Ivy is unrelated and probably would not grow like this at all, but some other aquatic plants to try might be lotus roots and arrowroot. I tried growing these in my tank before, but my fish ate them.


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## svtcontour

That would be wicked. A small tank for a pair of rams with lots of roots and plants. That we'd have to see when its set up 



Tropicana said:


> Great tank! gives me some ideas lol mmm may need to alter my Ram breeding tank haha. Sweet


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## svtcontour

Thanks for the compliment  BTW I used to have some silver dollars long ago and they would love eating the roots...luckily, the roots were growing faster than what they could eat.



characinfan said:


> Gorgeous tank. Well done, everything looks healthy, lively and beautiful!
> 
> BTW, it's not ivy, it's a philodendron (_Epipremnum aureum_, commonly known as pothos). Ivy is unrelated and probably would not grow like this at all, but some other aquatic plants to try might be lotus roots and arrowroot. I tried growing these in my tank before, but my fish ate them.


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## WiyRay

I think you blew the "betta in a planted vase" idea way out of proportion.

haha i have the same plant in my room and have also been staring at it wondering if that would work. niiiiiiiiiiiiice.


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## Sunstar

that is chaoticly pleasent. I have a thing for plants growing outside the tank. I have that with my cardamine lyrata, most of it grows down teh back of my tank.


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## zenkeri

beautiful setup, I really like the congo tetras especially when the males are darting about, In the past I did something similar w/ a more traditional planted tank w/ just an additional house plant that would grow partially submerges and emersed, it looked great and does help to clarifying the water. The only reason I took it out was too many jumping fishy, so had to put a lid on it to close off the tank. keep up the good work!


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## bluekrissyspikes

i love the idea. i wonder why it wouldn't work with ivy? or what other kinds of plants it would work with...hmmmm.... does anyone know? it looks sooo great!!! i want to copy it.


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## Platypus

What are those fish called?

Not the clown loach.


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## svtcontour

Those are Congo Tetra. Awesome fish. They should be in a school of 5 or more and they can get up to 4" long at full size. They dont like super bright light and scare easy so they need plants and things to hide behind.



Platypus said:


> What are those fish called?
> 
> Not the clown loach.


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