hillside

tank specs:
Dimensions: 30"x12"x 18.5" - 29 Gallons
Substrate: Soil covered by soil master select. Gravel is used under soil where soil is deepest.
Co2: None
micro/macro: None
Filtration: None for first month, just water changes. Now magnum 350 with air injection via sweetwater airstone inline in the filter return.
Lightning: 3 x 40Watt spiral compact fluorescent with no reflector and a 12 hour photoperiod
Fauna: Black neons
Flora: Glossostigma elatinoides, Micro tenellus-pigmy chain swords

Slope stucture is maintained using eggcrate.
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e83/wyste/slopinghillsframe.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e83/wyste/slopinghillswk3.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e83/wyste/slopinghillsbackground.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e83/wyste/slopinghillswk5.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e83/wyste/slopinghillswk6a.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e83/wyste/slopinghillswk7.jpg

Here is a picture of the frame. It is plastic eggcrate used sometimes as ceiling panels.

This tank was setup prior to using this method in other tanks to identify issues.

There is gravel under the egg crate?

Click to expand...

There is soil under the egg crate.
In the deeper areas gravel was added as a base but there are several inches of dirt on top of the gravel.
The soil was then covered by soil master select (charcoal).

If you use ADA aqua soil, it's a clay, simply pack it good and it'll stay put, not too hard not too soft.

Click to expand...

I was concerned that the soil would settle before the plants grew in enough to maintain the structure.
The slope is around 10 to 12 inches but it does seem reasonable that a clay-based soil could maintain the slope.

I like that the eggcrate allows working out the structure outside of the aquarium. It takes more time to ensure that the soil has settled and solidified with my method.

My understanding of the setup of sloping setups that I have seen is that they use rocks and then add substrate around the rocks. This method would be more practical especially for a tank this size but for a larger aquarium this would require a large number of rocks. Also, for a larger aquarium (the ultimate goal - 240 gal) this would require a significant amount of aquasoil.

I did some water changes and ran a diatom filter. I assume the water changes were for clarity.
Also, I dug out the tripod to help with the photo.

The water changes may have had a reduced effect as I stirred things removing some of the microsword. The glosso in the center is still tore up. When it recovers maybe some more of the E. tenellus should be taken out.



There is some nasty hard water deposit on the glass. Tried using a razor blade.
Maybe a new blade will work better. I will lower the water to try applying some vinegar.
Is there anything stronger that would not be toxic if it drips into the tank?

I am using an EOS 20D. I found the temperature settings after reading the manual.
Unfortunately they do not appear to be available in the fast moving mode used to capture the fish which are moving about. The temperature settings do not seem to be retained between photos.

Temperature settings had the largest effect at night when all other lights in the room are turned off. I think the light from the sun through the curtains has a big effect in the morning (photo above) when the red of the mircosword shows.