Research

Setting up this fish tank required quite a bit of field work and research. Considering how long I've been out of touch, I was hoping that the hobby had progressed in Singapore, meaning lower prices with better performances. Wonder if Moore's law applies here.

Anyway, the first two places were Nature and a rival fish shop just two shops down just opposite Thomson Medical Centre. That one did not yield much though I was happy to see some familiar plants. The other few places were Farmart, Qian Hu and Teo at Choa Chu Kang. 

There's a shop at Farmart in which the shopkeeper specialises in moss and I was hoping to find him. The place looked rather deserted as it was a weekday afterall. For a moment, I thought the shop had closed down until I saw the familiar java fern tank that sits just at the entrance of his shop. Interestingly, nothing much has changed. The visit turned out to be fruitful as I was introduced to the different types of moss including a newly introduced fissidens sp. from USA that gives quite a unique look. 

Visiting Qian Hu was more for research on aquarium hardware. It isn't the best place but it does have good variety. More good news was to come as I discovered Eheim truly did progress quite far in filter technology and design. For those first time aquarist out there, Eheim might be expensive, perhaps over priced. But the trouble and hassle saved from their ingenious design that allows you to change and clean your external filter without having to fight with hoses and spilt water will eventually repay itself. I had no need for one since I'm planning to have a built in internal filter anyway. Found the right powerhead I required and it was off to Teo.

Teo is the place to go if you're ever interested in getting water plants. Unlike other farms that serve as transitory posts, Teo grows them. This makes those plants very suitable for local conditions. Also, seeing how lovely those cement tanks of plants are, if I ever get the chance to do a fish pond, he'll be the first person I approach. The 6ft Aquaticquotient.com tank is still there, and like it, nothing else has changed much. Unfortunately, he wasn't stocked on Java Fern (microsorum pteropus).

I did visit Qian Hu again to get an Eheim pipe but the powerhead I got from Nature as it was nearby. It was my second visit to Nature that I got introduced to LED aquarium lights. For now, 3 tubes costs $250 which is about 3 times the price of the standard aquarium light. However, LEDs are much more energy efficient, longer lasting (up to 3 years min.) and they do not emit much heat. This has got me interested and I'm considering DIY if it is more cost effective. But that, will be another post. 

History (Vol. I)

The aim of this blog is to post a detailed account of my tank setup from start to finish. I don't claim to be a master in tank setups but I do believe that we can all learn from the experience of others. Hopefully, it'll be of help to others who are thinking of setting up their own tanks.

Before we take a look at the site of the fish tank, a little history would be appropriate. My first foray into planted tanks was in 1997. I was already keeping fishes for about a year then when we moved to a new place. I was allowed to have a 3ft tank in my bedroom which was a leap from the 1.5ft tanks I used to have. 

I did not know the existence of planted tanks but I did know that the tank was to look as natural as possible. So it was a trip to the old Marine Parade Library and I stumbled upon one of Takashi Amano's book of which the volume I cannot remember, and this book, The Natural Aquarium by Satoshi Yoshino and Doshin Kobayashi. Takashi Amano's tanks were breathtaking and in my opinion, since then till now, far superior to the 'Dutch Style'. However, the tank i wanted to model after was the Java Fern tank that Yoshino & Kobayashi did. It was simple yet elegant and quite accessible to me.

Back then, planted tanks was in it's infancy in Singapore at least. A simple 2X30w FL lamp set me back $280. Looking back, I strongly believe I was fleeced but it was my dad who paid the price. Then again, the market was new and the technology has advanced by leaps and bounds since then. It was also for this same reason that I did not do a java fern tank. Back then, one pot of Java Fern from Tropicana cost $16. To fill the 3ft tank would probably set my back a $100 or more. It costs a fraction today to do the same. Not to mention many more varieties suited for local water conditions.

The picture you see is my first planted tank setup. This picture was taken somewhere in late June 1997. It was a 90X45X45 tank, 2X30W FL tubes, CO2 with base fertiliser from Dennerle. Some of the first few fishes were cherry barbs, a recently deceased discus at the time of photo, kribensis and others I cannot remember.

My apologies for the poor photos as I did not know much about film cameras then. It was tremendously tedious when I first did the layout three months before and it ended in almost total failure. Planting took me an entire day and everything looked fine when the tank was filled to the brim. Disaster struck as I was about to sleep, a bubbling sound came from the tank and to my horror, I discovered as the lights were turned on that the large driftwood in the middle had pulled away from the gravel and floated to the top. Along with it many of the plants and much of the base fertiliser. I almost cried and had to move out of my room to get any sleep.

This was to be the first of many tanks that I would have, but those tanks are another story altogether.

The First Post

Welcome all ye aquarist. After year long hiatus from fish tanks, I'm finally back to setting up a fish tank once again. After trying to keep dogs - twice - I finally hit upon the revelation that I'm a fish and insect kind of guy. I appreciate animals for their beauty and not necessarily thirst for that emotional connection. Fishes and insects are more passive and have more interesting behaviours in my opinion. It was fun keeping the two dogs Tassie and Risa. But they are now with new owners and hopefully having a fun time wherever they are. 

Keep your eyes peeled here as I trace the development of the first fish tank in my very own home. I do hope that this blog serves as a reference guide to those out there who are interested in setting up their own planted aquaria. Been keeping fishes since my teens and the obsession with planted tanks started over a decade ago. So it's quite a long experience behind me though I must admit I've never been that fantastic at it. But more on that in time to come. In the meantime, enjoy!