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I have been very busy and this poor tank has not received any maintenance for almost three weeks. Just wanted to show that there is no need to go high-tech to have a planted tank.
Substrate- Mixture of builders sand and builders gravel.
Lights-Three 40 watt shop lights from Home Center
Fertilizer- Can you count Stress Coat as a fertilizer?
CO2- whatever the fish exhale
Inhabitants- Not really sure as I never see anything but the Neons. There are 8 or so Corydoras, one Farlowella vittata, several Sturisoma aureum, 3 Rineloricaria, and one Sturisomatichthys. There are also some rams and a tetra that I brought back from my last trip to the Amazon.



A close up



A happy Sturisoma aureum

Dear Sir,

I would like to know your filtration if I may ask? I am just so used to putting a lot of current in my tanks because of the lories. Aren't the sturiosoma, the rhineloricarias and the farlowella in need of a lot of current? Does this tank have any current at all? Do you use an underground filter for this? How long do you have your lights on each day? Oh yeah, how big is your tank?

Sorry for all the questions. I do appreciate good looking planted tanks butI have been very unlucky with them. Tips anyone?

Regards,
Mike D.

By the way, that post on the adonis was really funny and interesting.

Mike, I always keep low technology planted tanks and always have very good luck. The tank above is 55 gallons. Filtration is from two powerheads (Penguin 660s) each with a Penguin sponge filter attachment that is rated at 40 gallons. That gives me two powerheads each producing 175 gph of current. That means a rated 80 gallons of sponge filter and 350 gph turnover total in a 55 (that is still more turnover than you would get from a Fluval 404 canister and only a little les than an Penguin Emperor 400 hang on the back). Not a lot of current, but certainly enough for the loricariids to thrive. My main goal here is a nice display tank and not a spawning tank or reproduction of the fish's natuaral habitat. Lights, 120 watts, are on 14 hours a day on a timer.

Cost Construct minus the tank and stand: Under $100 for everything

dual 40 watt shop light $20
single 40 watt shop light $10
3 Gro Lux bulbs: $15
Sand: $5.00
Powerheads: 18.00 each
Sponge attachments: $6.50 each (sold as reverse flow kits by Marineland)

I am not saying that you can not have an awesome planted tank with a Laterite substrate, $100 light fixtures, expensive canister filters, and a CO2 system, because you can. I am just saying that you can also have a very nice planted tank for under $100 total.
-Shane

Hi Shane,
Very beautiful tank

Nice tank... just out of curiosity what do you use for your water source? Tap, River water, Rain water? You've never needed to supplement Iron? I assume your water source must have a decent amount of inorganics then? Must be rough to have to go out to the river and catch your own stock

Must be rough to have to go out to the river and catch your own stock

Wish I had that problem, too!