Daniel Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 What did your aquarium look like at first and what does it look like now? Thanks to @tfwvusa for these photos! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted October 8, 2020 Author Share Posted October 8, 2020 Here is my discus tank from 2008 And here is the same tank from last week 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickS77 Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 My 110 first setup (2017) Eventually the fx4s couldn't keep up with the bioload so, I reset the tank with and did completely opposite. No plants and added the sump for an African Cichlid tank. (2018-19) Got bored of the Cichlids, sold them to my LFS. I wanted plants back. I started off wanting just to do a low tech Val tank but that didn't last long since I had all the equipment for a high tech setup and now had a sump to play with. (2019-present) I've since removed the large driftwood because it was getting BBA on it and to make more open area for plants. Most recent photo 10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garren Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 Thank you @Daniel for putting the before and after pics together for me. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyIce Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Blake Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 Here are some of my older tanks that I have photos of. First 2 are a natives tank I had in college In 2016 then my 90 gallon when it was first being used for over wintering the pond fish back in 2017 and then the little fluval spec that I had on my parents counter back in 2018. I don't have any pictures of my really old setups back in the early 2000s @Danielthat size is that big tank you have? 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted October 8, 2020 Author Share Posted October 8, 2020 1 minute ago, Taylor Blake said: @Danielwhat size is that big tank you have? It holds a little more than 500 gallons, it is 8 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet. I started it in 2007. It has always been either discus or angelfish. It has no filter or sump, but it does have pump below the aquarium to recirculate the water. There is also an inline hot tub heater below the aquarium that keeps the tank at 86 °F. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yannachka Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 this was my little nano tank when i first set it up a few months ago and it a couple days ago 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NordernAquariums Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 Very early on I had a 90 gallon corner tank, never loved the dimensions. I also tried cichlids, because in Minnesota that's what you do, quickly decided they weren't for me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenP2003 Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 (edited) I'll just share one of my 9 tanks, with the biggest change. October 2019... Colorful gravel, Petsmart ornaments with no cohesive theme, and an assortment of plants to see what might grow. October 2020... Same fish, new look. I have some things figured out now, but still very much a work in progress. EDIT: it wasn't until seeing the old photo again that I realize how much those ornaments have lost color over time. The later photo does have a different, brighter light, but still. Edited October 9, 2020 by StephenP2003 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 This is my first tank back in the hobby, a 20 gallon Askoll. I read a lot, bought a cool tank gathering dust, did organic soil, too much sand, some box store plants, and a nice piece of wood. A few days later, I thought it would be cool to add some white sand over the black. It was interesting, until it looked like digital camo. Two years later: 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenP2003 Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 19 hours ago, Daniel said: Here is my discus tank from 2008 And here is the same tank from last week I gotta say, both being beautiful scapes, I still want to know what made you switch over to hardscape. Just felt like changing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenP2003 Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 19 hours ago, MickS77 said: Eventually the fx4s couldn't keep up with the bioload I remember you saying that in another thread, and I'm curious what you mean. I always assumed plants had a positive effect on controlling the bioload. What happened in this case? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickS77 Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 4 hours ago, StephenP2003 said: I remember you saying that in another thread, and I'm curious what you mean. I always assumed plants had a positive effect on controlling the bioload. What happened in this case? Maybe there is a better way to describe it. I'm not wholly blaming the fx4 filters. I just don't think they were right for the application. Maybe my expectations were too high for the fx filters. The tank was densely planted I felt all the debris and detritus clogged and slowed down making them more like trash cans even with weekly or bi-weekly cleaning. I completely understand it sounds like a cop out for not doing enough maintenance. That's why I think they just weren't right for me. I much prefer what I have now, changing a filter sock and filter pads weekly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenP2003 Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 5 hours ago, MickS77 said: Maybe there is a better way to describe it. I'm not wholly blaming the fx4 filters. I just don't think they were right for the application. Maybe my expectations were too high for the fx filters. The tank was densely planted I felt all the debris and detritus clogged and slowed down making them more like trash cans even with weekly or bi-weekly cleaning. I completely understand it sounds like a cop out for not doing enough maintenance. That's why I think they just weren't right for me. I much prefer what I have now, changing a filter sock and filter pads weekly. Ah OK. I have an fx6 on my heavily planted 90gallon, and the big aquarium coop prefilter is a must. I can go a while without cleaning it too. Tons of plant matter on it right now, mostly moss, and I still have great flow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 These were my window tanks when I first set them up. I very briefly tried Fluval Stratum before going back to my preferred organic soil. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted October 29, 2020 Author Share Posted October 29, 2020 This is what the 2008 big aquarium pictured above looked like on January 1, 2011 when it had angelfish in it. This is a cute multi-generational scene where a couple of juvenile angelfish are stealing newly laid eggs. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickS77 Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 My first planted tank from 2011. A 20H with a Marineland canister filter, Marineland Plant light, and yeast CO2 bubbler. Boesemani surely would have gotten too big for that tank, I think they went back to the LFS. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted October 29, 2020 Author Share Posted October 29, 2020 4 minutes ago, MickS77 said: My first planted tank from 2011. A 20H with a Marineland canister filter, Marineland Plant light, and yeast CO2 bubbler. Where were you getting your information on CO2 back in 2011? Tom Barr? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickS77 Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 18 minutes ago, Daniel said: Where were you getting your information on CO2 back in 2011? Tom Barr? I can't really remember. I was probably on the planted tank forums or books I had. I do remember referencing many of the articles Drs. Foster & Smith had on their website, I still have many of them saved as pdfs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruud Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 I stumbled on these old photos somewhere buried in my photo bucket account. Mind you these are from 2007, its my 180 liter (that's around 48 gallon) South America tank with Back to Nature 3d background L260 Queen Arabesque - really need these back in my life in a colony tank A colony tank for Orange lasers I had back then (I know Cory likes them) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenP2003 Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 I just used the Wayback machine to revisit a forum that my close friends and I put together to communicate (the days before Facebook and unlimited texting). I found a collage I made of the fish I put in my very first tank, a 10 gallon. Can you identify these bad decisions (one is pretty blurry)? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 The oldest pic of my 12 gallon over 2 years ago. One year later. You can see a current pic on my profile header. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack.of.all.aquariums Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 (edited) Edited October 29, 2020 by Jack.of.all.aquariums 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miranda Marie Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 Everyone's tanks look fantastic! Here's my 20g long. Started last January with a totally different scape and decided I didn't like it. So I changed it up in May to the newer scape and planted more heavily. The carpet has gotten a bit out of control lately 🤣 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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