TankScape

Wet Plants + Dry Plants = Maximum Aesthetic

2019-06-22T10:07:00.000-07:00

Here's a little bit of eye candy to distract you from my old cringy posts lol.

Hi there! After many years of neglect, I've finally updated my blog! Please bear with me as I work out the kinks in the theme and formatting. I'll try my very best to keep new blog posts coming, but please note that I am currently more active on Instagram @TankScape. There's a lot to catch up on! Let's start with this #aesthetic air plants vs minimalist aquascape photo I took of my tank many months ago.

I have been very into minimalist/Scandinavian design lately (who isn't, tho?!), so I gave my aquarium a little bit flair through the use of light colored wood for the base, and trendy air plants, maidenhair fern and white polygonal ceramic pots. To save money, I made the base out of pine wood from the local big box store and attached some furniture sliders for feet. I think it came out quite nicely, the grain of the wood really makes it pop. Another money saving tip: use tea light candle holders to hold your air plants! I got the hexagonal tea light holder from the dollar store. And yet another hot tip (lol): use your dirty tank water to soak your air plants in! They'd appreciate the nutrients!

To those interested, here's a list of the items found in the pic above:

🌱 Maidenhair Fern

🏺 White Ceramic Planter Pot With Wire Stand
🛠️ Fishtank Base Feet/Sliders

Full Transparency: My Amazon links have my affiliate code embedded in them. This does not affect you nor the price of the items, but Amazon does pay out a tiny (and I mean TINY) percentage when items are purchased through my links. This in turn helps me partially fund my aquascaping projects, and if you are neck deep into this hobby as I am, then you know how expensive it could get 😂

I think I've blabbed enough for today! Questions? Comments? What decor do you use to complement your fishtank? Please do share, I like snooping on other people's set ups 😊

Scuba Diver Pets Moray Eel

2014-09-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Video Source: Central Florida Aquarium Society

Here's something you don't see everyday: a friendly wild moray eel. So friendly, in fact, that the diver could actually pet it.

Scuba Diver Petting a Friendly Moray Eel

The diver has been visiting the moray eel's home year after year and the eel have never cared for her presence. One year, the eel came out of her coral shelter and allowed the diver to pet her. You can also see the eel taking fish from the diver's hand. Sometimes it would be years before the diver can revisit the eel, but somehow the moray eel remembers her. Maybe it remembers her scent (moray eels have poor eyesight, but have an excellent sense of smell), maybe it's the fish. Who knows.

Moray Eel Disposition

Moray eels are known to be extremely shy animals, it's quite awe inducing to see a wild one appear to enjoy being petted by a diver. As amazing the video was, I couldn't help but think of the effects of excessive human exposure to wild animals. There have been a lot of reports of them becoming docile, and in effect, a danger to themselves.

Being a large fish, the moray eel is one of the most dominant predators within its environment. Its ability to snake in and out of crevices make them highly effective on hunting down fish, molluscs and crustaceans. But this ability doesn't stop them from being preyed upon by larger fish like groupers and barracudas, as well as sharks and humans. It sure doesn't help if they've become friendly to divers. I'm not sure what the diver's intentions are for visiting the eel year after year, but I do hope this "friendship" is restricted to this particular diver only.

Moray Eels as Pets

If you have a sudden hankering for owning a moray eel after watching this video, you are probably not alone. The good news is, there are several types of moray eels that are suitable for the home aquarium. Bad news is, they're not exactly what one would consider as "starter fish". You must be an experienced saltwater or brackish tank owner in order to keep these eels happy. These books should help get you started:

Keeping Moray Eels in Aquariums

Saltwater Aquariums For Dummies

Moray Eels for the Faint of Heart

If you are a huge fan of moray eels but are daunted by the task of saltwater/brackish tank upkeep, not to worry. You can still fulfill your need to pet eels with these awesomely designed plushies. It's not the real thing, but hey, it's closest you can get to hugging them. Found some really cool cufflinks, too!

Adventure Planet Plush - DRAGON MORAY EEL - $8.99

Adventure Planet Plush - RIBBON MORAY EEL - $3.15

TY Beanie Baby - MORRIE the Eel Toy - $7.00

Solid Pewter Eel Cufflinks with Gift Box

And lastly, I can't publish a blog post about moray eels without a moray eel meme. Enjoy!

A little end of the year update...

2011-12-22T15:06:00.000-08:00

...coz I'm a lazy @ss hahaha. Sorry guys. Life has a way of taking me hostage at most times. The tank has evolved, yet again. It's now a substrate-less planted tank. Still not sure what my final stock would be, though the clean up crew (an oto and some ghost shrimps) will be staying.

So, here you go folks. New tank photo!

Latest Planted Tank - latest progress

2011-01-01T00:47:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!

As promised, here are the photos of the latest progress in my tank. I finally had the time to break the java moss mat into smaller pieces. The rock work has been arranged a bit, though it may change in the future. Also, say hello to my pet dragon. He's the star of this tank, as you may have already noticed.

Right now it is looking a wee bit minimalist (which is a style I absolutely love). However, I don't think my 4 bloodfin tetras like that too much since they enjoy densely planted tanks. What do you guys think? Any suggestions for new tank stock to swap the bloodfins with? Note that this is only a 6 gallon tank, and that I'll be adding some branches and floating plants in the future.

That's it for now. Currently battling brown algae which I am hoping will clear up as soon as the tank settles.

Latest Tank Project - Sneak Peek!

2010-12-19T02:30:00.000-08:00

After a hiatus of about more than a year, I have dusted off my tank lights and started setting up a fish tank again. I had a local acrylic shop build me a rimless tank (24"x10"x6" --- I have always wanted a long, skinny tank :P). I have already planned out my new tank scape, but thought it needed a proper hood to take the design over the top. Below are pics of the hood build in progress. As you may have already guessed from the "shoji screens", my new scape is going to be another Asian inspired one :)

My Betta Tank: The River Bed

2010-11-28T21:59:00.000-08:00

This tank was designed around the same time I designed the Golf Course tank. I have gone weary of using stem plants, so the Buddha Tank set up was scrapped and out came the River Bed design. I wanted a snapshot of what a slow moving river bed would look like: dead leaves, twigs, random garbage and all... Was very happy how this set up looked nice and clean without the rigorous maintenance some of my previous tanks needed.

Set up: Low tech, 3 wpg (adjusted photoperiod), liquid ferts
Plants list: marimo moss, christmas moss, anubias nana, anubias barteri (all non substrate dependent)
Stock: Betta (Blu Dot!)
Misc: clean (boiled, even) aluminum can with sanded edges. no worries, it only looks sharp, but it really isn't.

My FishTank Evolution video is featured on YouTube!

2010-11-27T13:50:00.000-08:00

Woot!!! I was pleasantly surprised to see that my Fishtank Evolution video was chosen as a featured on YouTube. Awesomeness!

My Golf Course Planted Tank: Mole in One

2010-11-25T01:20:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's a freakin' golf course in a fishtank. Like most avid (rabid? hah!) aquascapers, I went through a stem plant burn out phase some time ago. Having my fingers turn into prunes from all that constant trimming and replanting have worn me down. However, I wasn't willing to give up on planted tanks just yet. So I hatched this crazy idea of doing a non-substrate dependent planted tank instead. Then I came up with an even crazier idea: why not make a golf course themed tank while I'm at it?! The idea of having rolling carpets of green, whale shaped sand pit, bushes and pine trees and the clear blue horizon in my 15 gallon tank was very appealing...and challenging.

Looking back now, it probably wasn't a good idea considering it was a low tech tank. CO2 injection would have helped loads with getting the marimo moss to carpet properly. Either way, I have uploaded the progression pics for your amusement. Enjoy!

Set Up: Low Tech, 3 wpg (adjusted photoperiod to compensate for high wpg), liquid ferts

Plants List: marimo moss, christmas moss, anachris (early in the set up to help fight algae while waiting for hornwort to come in), hornwort

Livestock: Von Rio tetras (early in the set up), Cardinal Tetras (final stock)

My Planted Buddha Betta Tank

2010-11-23T23:42:00.000-08:00

You've seen my YouTube planted buddha betta tank setup video, now see the high resolution pics! Also included is a mapout of the plants list for your reference.

Mini FAQ below for the many questions I received on my YouTube channel. Thanks for all the love guys. If you have any other questions, just ask! I won't bite :)

TANK MINI FAQ:

1. What plants do you have in the tank? See mapout photo

2. What brand of tank is that and how many gallons? 4 US gallons, forgot the brand :S

3. Where did you get the bamboo? We had a bamboo plant in the backyard. Please do not use bamboo from home decor stores, they're usually treated with pesticide.

4. Is the bamboo a live plant? No, it was already dead and dried when I harvested it. This is the tall bamboo plant, not lucky bamboo type.

5. Can I use lucky bamboo instead of dried bamboo? It's ok if you keep the leaves above the water line. If you keep them completely submerged, it will rot and mess up your water quality.

6. How do you make the bamboo stand still? I have placed weights on the bottom end and stuck them under one inch of sandy gravel.

7. How do you keep the bamboo sticks from rotting? I haven't. Even though it was dried properly, it eventually started showing signs of rot at 6 months. Basically everything organic will rot in water eventually (including driftwood, but at a much much more slower rate). Just replace them as needed.

8. How do you do water changes without messing up the set up? Water changes are done by siphoning the old water out using an air line tube. I also siphon out visible debris in between water changes, this keeps the water cleaner longer. I changed the water every 3 weeks for this tank. The hang on back filter helps too.

EDIT: It's been years since this blog entry was posted, but I still keep getting inquiries about the Buddha I've used. I can no longer find the actual statue that I've used on my tank, but this is a suitable replacement. It's slightly larger however, so keep that in mind when planning your tank. I appreciate all your inquiries and comments! Let me know if you have any more questions, I'll try to answer them when I have time!

Beautiful Blessing Buddha Statues 12.75 Inches

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2000-01-01T13:51:00.000-08:00