My first planted tank! (24 gallon)

[sovereign51580]

Finally, after weeks of research and long nights, here is my first planted aquarium! It's a 24 gallon nano: 72 watt cfs; CO2 injection via Red Sea Turbo CO2 setup.

Plants: Corkscrew vallisneria in the background; hydrocotyle leucocephala (Brazilian pennywort) on the midground-background, left; nymphaea zenkeri in the midground; hemianthus callitrichoides in the foreground and in the little nook on that piece of driftwood.

We plan to get a few guppies on Friday. In the long run, we plan on adding a few corydoras sterbai once the hc establishes itself.

I would like to thank EVERYONE on this forum from those who directly answered my questions to those whose posts I read again and again and again -- I share this with you!:mwave:

[WeeNe858]

not bad...


post up pictures when they grow in :]

[Mgamer20o0]

looks great once it grows in its going to look even better.

[irishspy]

Beautiful tank! :headbang2:

If you don't mind me asking, the Red Sea CO2 unit -- what do you think of it? I was thinking of getting it for a 36-gallon bowfront.

[Dwarf Puffers]

Very nice, that driftwood looks a little odd sticking up though (JMO) but you could tie some java moss on it.

[Natosha24]

Beautiful tank! :headbang2:

If you don't mind me asking, the Red Sea CO2 unit -- what do you think of it? I was thinking of getting it for a 36-gallon bowfront.

I would STAY AWAY from the Red Sea CO2 unit. I purchased on in August and within a week the pump quit working. I took it back to the store and exchanged it and then two weeks later the pump quit working. I took it back to the lfs and demanded a refund. They wouldn't do it. Instead, they exchanged it for the same darn thing. Again it's not working. As a matter of fact last Saturday I made a new CO2 mixture, plugged it in, and then went downstairs to do some homework. I started to hear an odd noise coming from upstairs and then it got REALLY loud. I ran upstairs to find that it was my CO2 pump. Urg! It's terrible. Likely dangerous. I finally have contacted Red Sea about the problem. Their solution....... "we can send you a new pump." I would suggest going with the Nutrafin CO2 system with the bubble ladder. After doing some research it's my opinion that they're probably 200% better than the Red Sea system. NEVER again.

[irishspy]

I would STAY AWAY from the Red Sea CO2 unit.

Yikes! Thanks for the warning.:bowing:

[sovereign51580]

Thanks for all your comments! I'll post another photo in a month's time. I actually like the Red Sea system.

Irishspy, I've never had any problems with it with my Red Sea system. I think overall it's good for what I need. I saw this other system that's basically the same but uses a small compressed co2 cartridge (not as small as for paintball but a little larger). I think it goes by the name of the Green NRG CO2 system or something like that.

Dwarfpuffers, that wood is actually the third piece we've gone through. We tried it horizontally but it would take up so much space that we wouldn't have had the room for most of the hc. Java moss and I don't get a long. I somehow managed to kill it a few weeks ago on the first piece of wood. You really can't see it there, but I've managed to wedge one or two hc plantlets into a crack near the top of the wood. Hopefully it'll take hold and spread across it -- similar to the hc on driftwood that aquabotanic has.

[FishyFry]

:clap: Very nice!

[Ralleh]

Hey I really like your tank. It will look amazing when the foreground plants cover all the spaces.

[flapper12]

Looks stunning

[sovereign51580]

Thank you! I really hope it all works out. I just added 8 guppies yesterday (3 males, 5 females). They seem to like it. I did notice that they'll nip the hc once in awhile. The pennywort is really starting to grow now and the hc seems to be establishing itself quite nicely. :flamed:

[gupman]

Very nice tank..

[mellowvision]

super nice.

[sammo]

Very nice, simple and clean.

[mphunk]

This tank has a lot of promise! Good job.

[sovereign51580]

Thanks!

[Reddog80p]

Nice stump :) :headbang2:

[mellowvision]

did I see a picture of your tank at Win Aquarium today?

[sovereign51580]

What's Win Aquarium?

[mellowvision]

it's on mott street. I wish I had been shopping there all along. vampie reccomended I check it out again, and man are their prices low, compared to other places around the city. nice guys too.

[mellowvision]

they had a picture of a tank they showed me, a customers... and it looked sort of like your tank, I thought I had seen the picture before, here on AC

[-KT-]

Oh wow, your tank is so pretty.

[Trex76us]

I would STAY AWAY from the Red Sea CO2 unit. I purchased on in August and within a week the pump quit working. I took it back to the store and exchanged it and then two weeks later the pump quit working. I took it back to the lfs and demanded a refund. They wouldn't do it. Instead, they exchanged it for the same darn thing. Again it's not working. As a matter of fact last Saturday I made a new CO2 mixture, plugged it in, and then went downstairs to do some homework. I started to hear an odd noise coming from upstairs and then it got REALLY loud. I ran upstairs to find that it was my CO2 pump. Urg! It's terrible. Likely dangerous. I finally have contacted Red Sea about the problem. Their solution....... "we can send you a new pump." I would suggest going with the Nutrafin CO2 system with the bubble ladder. After doing some research it's my opinion that they're probably 200% better than the Red Sea system. NEVER again.

My wife got the same thing for her 30gal tank and we had the same troubles. It's just the pump that go bad in just a few days. I've took it out a few time and I can get it to work for a day or two.

[sovereign51580]

I guess I really lucked out, Trex. I've had no problems with it whatsoever (knock on wood).