Behind the scenes

Recreating 'Kapatagan' doesn't come easy. Planted tanks are far costlier and more meticulous to maintain than normal fish-only tanks. With budget restraints, aquarists become resourceful and creative. In this particular tank, I had to build things that otherwise would be expensive.

The ODNO lighting with custom reflector.
ODNO stands for 'overdriven normal output' fluorescent lamps. This one is 3x55W ODNO - meaning 3 normal 36W FLs each with a 55W electronic ballast to 'turbo-charge' the output. I would have used 2x36W (72W) e-ballasts but since I already have the 55Ws from my 35 gal planted before, I used them for experiment here. I'll probably change to 72W e-ballasts depending on the outcome of the glosso carpet which I had just planted. The custom reflector was conceived due to the high cost of quality aquarium lighting fixtures in the local market. Luckily I chanced upon a manufacturer of office lighting fixtures and had the reflector done to my specifications.

The riccia 'pillows'.
Another DIY. This one in place of the expensive riccia pillows sold by ADA. Another route is to tie the riccia in small rocks or mesh sandwhich. Since I will have glosso as carpet in the foreground, I used these pillows as perimeter to border the glosso carpet from the hairgrass and the hardscape.