Aquascaping on the Edge
Hi Guys,
Its been a while since I set up a new tank and this time I went for something a little smaller and specifically for shrimps. I decided to use the Edge Glow aquarium which is made by Interpet. I wanted a small simple neat set up that looked modern and would look good in a teenagers bedroom.
The Edge Glow is designed to be easy to set up - and it was. All that was required was a connection of a tube to the back of the tiny little powerhead, pop that into the back of the filter area and connect the power cables. The light from the LED light is great and the coloured "edge" along with the green waterfall effect is a big hit with the kids. They are using it during the night and love it.
As far as the aquascaping goes, Ive never worked on such a small tank (18 litres). It was a learning curve for me, I will admit. I had to think carefully about the stone I used. I wanted to give height to the hardscape so went for a narrow long (20cm max) piece and a shorter thicker piece of petrified wood. For my substrate, I used Dennerles Shrimp King Active substrate.
With such a small area, plant choice is restricted. I needed something that was bushy, textured and rich dark green colour to stand out against the dark substrate. I decided on Bucephalandra (wavy leaf and needle leaf). Ive only recently discovered Bucephalandra and find it very fascinating as far as aquatic plants go. Its very unusual. Ive seen it planted into substrate, attached to branches or other surfaces and looks great where ever it goes.
It was Java Fern that fit the bill for the back of the tank. This is ideal with its long thin leaves that move easily in any current. This was placed in a rear corner of the tank to give the illusion that the tank went further back when looking at it up close.
With this tank being set up for shrimps, I needed to have some moss. I don't usually have moss in my tanks because I've always lack the skill to attach it to anything but the spikes moss came with small rubber bands which made my life so much easier (why didn't i think of that before) so I easily attached some moss to the top of the tall piece of rock.
One special feature the Edge Glow has is the waterfall on the top. Not only does this area glow up green, it also has a little bit for a plant to go inside. I needed a plant that would fair well submerged but with its leaves out of the water. My choice was the Anubis Nana petite. The tiny leaves were perfect for this small area.
With all the plants in place, I filled the tank up and switched it on. I added some Biovert and Bio Digest from Prodibio to get things kickstarted and also to provide the plants with the trace elements they need to grow healthily.
I really enjoyed setting up the Edge Glow. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a stylish little tank for their home or office. So simple to set up, anybody could do it.
Here is the video of the full set up, If you have any questions just get in touch either by Facebook or in the comments below this blog or on the youtube channel;.
The Edge Glow retails for £79.99 and is available from most Local fish stores. Remember if you go to one of our sponsors, to ask for your Lothian Fishkeepers discount.
All the plants and substrate are available at www.shrimpandscape.co.uk along with everything you need to set up your own shrimp tank.
Hope you enjoyed reading this and watching the video as much as I did making it. thanks for reading and look out for updates soon.
bye for now.
The Edge Glow is designed to be easy to set up - and it was. All that was required was a connection of a tube to the back of the tiny little powerhead, pop that into the back of the filter area and connect the power cables. The light from the LED light is great and the coloured "edge" along with the green waterfall effect is a big hit with the kids. They are using it during the night and love it.
As far as the aquascaping goes, Ive never worked on such a small tank (18 litres). It was a learning curve for me, I will admit. I had to think carefully about the stone I used. I wanted to give height to the hardscape so went for a narrow long (20cm max) piece and a shorter thicker piece of petrified wood. For my substrate, I used Dennerles Shrimp King Active substrate.
With such a small area, plant choice is restricted. I needed something that was bushy, textured and rich dark green colour to stand out against the dark substrate. I decided on Bucephalandra (wavy leaf and needle leaf). Ive only recently discovered Bucephalandra and find it very fascinating as far as aquatic plants go. Its very unusual. Ive seen it planted into substrate, attached to branches or other surfaces and looks great where ever it goes.It was Java Fern that fit the bill for the back of the tank. This is ideal with its long thin leaves that move easily in any current. This was placed in a rear corner of the tank to give the illusion that the tank went further back when looking at it up close.
With this tank being set up for shrimps, I needed to have some moss. I don't usually have moss in my tanks because I've always lack the skill to attach it to anything but the spikes moss came with small rubber bands which made my life so much easier (why didn't i think of that before) so I easily attached some moss to the top of the tall piece of rock.
One special feature the Edge Glow has is the waterfall on the top. Not only does this area glow up green, it also has a little bit for a plant to go inside. I needed a plant that would fair well submerged but with its leaves out of the water. My choice was the Anubis Nana petite. The tiny leaves were perfect for this small area.
I really enjoyed setting up the Edge Glow. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a stylish little tank for their home or office. So simple to set up, anybody could do it.
Here is the video of the full set up, If you have any questions just get in touch either by Facebook or in the comments below this blog or on the youtube channel;.
The Edge Glow retails for £79.99 and is available from most Local fish stores. Remember if you go to one of our sponsors, to ask for your Lothian Fishkeepers discount.
All the plants and substrate are available at www.shrimpandscape.co.uk along with everything you need to set up your own shrimp tank.
Hope you enjoyed reading this and watching the video as much as I did making it. thanks for reading and look out for updates soon.
bye for now.
