new pictures and a long tale

i'm so glad all worked out in the end; I had my moments there a while back where I wondered if you'd ever just leave your plants ALONE and let them grow so I'm double happy to see this now, great job!

Question. Does that loach in the pic just hanging out resting have a name? He looks like a Frank. Frank Bertolini. He looks like a big ol' fat mob boss just hanging out on his corner waiting for collection dues to come in.

I'm a big fan of your tank....the transformation is remarkable...well done

Having a 29 gallon planted of my own and having high lighting on it, i can completely relate with your algae issues. Great job clearing them up!!

for the record i'm pretty sure it's a "she" but frankie fits. i love my yo-yo's. they are my super favorite. i'm getting a bunch more when i stock my 75 and i'll replace them in this tank with probably dwarf cories. or peppered.

thank you, cmc. the less intense lighting really helped a lot.

nice tank pics

I like that aquascape Steph, really do. It has a completely unkempt natural look to it, sort of like the difference between a manicured lawn and an English cottage garden (obviously I am a fan of the latter). I think it adds more interest. Well done.

Thanks for the comments on the result of ending Excel. That is significant; it is absolutely not necessary to add carbon to a planted tank with fish, and you have again proven it. The natural balance has now returned. the KISS principle my boss used to frequently mention: Keep It Simple Stupid.

Byron.

Wow! Nice transformation.

Just saying what's true...and yes, KISS good principle to follow. I have been observing my other tanks during this very busy work week and a missed water change and am amazed at how sensitive it is--good and bad--to taking a "hands off" approach. new types of algae in a 10 gallon, although minimal and i'm not worried, and also plants that weren't doing so well are really taking off. In one short week of changed routine, so many visible differences!

And in a new 10 gallon, I was using Excel because there were no fish, but now that I've stopped using it for a few days, the tank seems to be doing a big better (greener, taller happier plants)

I absolutely prefer the English garden setup over the highly manicured...which is why I'm not a huge fan of Takashi Amano, although I can appreciate his work. But a long stretch from my style! My husband, being the landscaper and green thumb in our house, takes the opposite approach so we don't always see eye-to-eye on things : )

I had thought of mentioning Mr. Amano's setups previously, but now will as you've raised it. I also do not like them. They are healthy, fish and plant wise, and thriving. But they are not natural. They are artistic designs (and some very, very good ones) meant to replicate a primarily non-aquatic scene in nature. I can admire John Constable's fine landscape paintings if I want to look at that--though of course the images are stationary and not moving. And the big thing about those setups is they are high-tech; mega light, CO2 diffusion, mega-fertilization every day. Very expensive, and the more paraphernalia the more that can go wrong. But many aquarists prefer that sort of look, and that's fine. But definitely not for me. B.

Haha that fish looks like a fat guy caught in the act with his lips on food after just being told to go on a diet.