After much trial and tribulation, I finally set up my 4 ft tank on 1 November 1998. After having left the hobby for a good 15-16 years, I found my knowledge about fishes wanting many a times. But with the help and advice from members of Plantnux, I was able to move along.
I've got my fair shares of beginner's blues. First, there was the aquatic caterpillar infestation. They were wrecking havoc in the tank, eating the leaves of the plants, and razing some of the plants bare! The only way to eradicate them was to pick them out and destroy them. For a good 2 weeks, I picked more then 20 of this creepy crawlies!
Next wave of disaster to follow was the invation of the dragonfly/damsel fly nymph. I hadn't notice their presence at first. I later found out that they were the nymphs of the dragonfly/damsel fly from the internet. This time, it took me more than 2 months to remove all 20 plus of them! Guess what, I even found a dead damsel fly right under my mattress one day!
Cyanobacteria was quick to follow and soon many of my plants were covered with this bacteria. Being a dental surgeon myself, this was easily gotten rid by using antibiotics, namely erythromycin. More on erythromycin therapy later.
Currently, the tank is much stable now, with its fair share of hair
and spot algae under control. Although the aquascaping is far from that
of Mr Takashi Amano's, the whole process of setting the tank up is very
satisfying and fruitful. Of course, I'll continue to improve and strive
to make my dream come true.
The picture below will change constantly, as the growth of the plants
continue to modify the scape.
I've taken pictures of my tanks using my Olympus Camedia digital camera. I'll be presenting the better pictures and articles in the following pages:
4. Columnaris infection
5. Nature and nurture in
motion