Hi all, this is my first build thread, so i'm pretty excited
. The tank is a 40 gallon breeder. I've had it for a while, but had to take it down and put it in storage for a while. Now that I'm moved into the new house I can enjoy it once more. I think I'm going to try 1x96w 10000k and 2x30w 6700k as far as lighting. I have one AC30 and i plan on buying another or using two Whisper 2+2s as well for extra flow. The heater is a Visitherm Stealth if I remember correctly. It's down in the basement with the filters for now. I picked up 40 lbs. of Eco-Complete from my LFS guy, but I'm not sure that will be a satisfying amount. I'm not planning on running CO2, because that honestly seems like a hassle I don't want to deal with. Hopefully the lighting won't be too much that I'll need it.
Now on to the good stuff. Plants right now include two anubias, the broadleaf and the standard types. I've got a few stems of valisneria. there are both bronze and green crypts. I also have a few small java ferns that I'm hoping will attach to the small driftwood I have. A big thank you is owed to GOJIRADOR for his amazing plants, I got everything but the ferns from him via the marketplace here. The ferns were bought locally from a lady on the carolina forums. I may add some swords for the background, and I'm debating on what to use as a ground cover. Suggestions? I may add a few more plants, but other than the groundcover I think I'm basically set once the plants start to fill in.
The fish will be ordered in a couple weeks when the tank has cycled, and when my LFS guy gets back from vacation. I'm narrowing down my fish list daily, and have come up with a pretty good idea as to what I'll get. I love veiled angels, and hope to get four. I understand two will likely pair off, and I'll have to resell the others. These will be the "centerpiece" fish. I really like harlequin rasboras, and will probably get 8-12 of those. The false julii corys are really cool looking, and I would like to get 4-6 of those. Aside from that, I will probably buy some snails to battle any algae that does take place. I like RCS, but am not sure if that would be too much bioload.
I'm sure you guys are tired of reading, so on to the pics. This is the first time I've attempted to add pics here, so bear with me. They were taken on my phone, as it was just the basics. I'll borrow my roommate's camera when it comes time to start taking some serious ones.
the tank before cleaning:
substrate:
the lighting:
a bucket full of plants:
full lighting (plus an actinic that won't be used) and unintentional footscape:
beginning of plant scaping:
a good start before filling:
thanks to anyone who checks the thread out. I am currently filling it, and will probably have pics of it after the water clears in a day or so. Feel free to offer any suggestions or feedback. I'll also get shots of each of the individual plant types when I can borrow my roommate's camera.
. The tank is a 40 gallon breeder. I've had it for a while, but had to take it down and put it in storage for a while. Now that I'm moved into the new house I can enjoy it once more. I think I'm going to try 1x96w 10000k and 2x30w 6700k as far as lighting. I have one AC30 and i plan on buying another or using two Whisper 2+2s as well for extra flow. The heater is a Visitherm Stealth if I remember correctly. It's down in the basement with the filters for now. I picked up 40 lbs. of Eco-Complete from my LFS guy, but I'm not sure that will be a satisfying amount. I'm not planning on running CO2, because that honestly seems like a hassle I don't want to deal with. Hopefully the lighting won't be too much that I'll need it. Now on to the good stuff. Plants right now include two anubias, the broadleaf and the standard types. I've got a few stems of valisneria. there are both bronze and green crypts. I also have a few small java ferns that I'm hoping will attach to the small driftwood I have. A big thank you is owed to GOJIRADOR for his amazing plants, I got everything but the ferns from him via the marketplace here. The ferns were bought locally from a lady on the carolina forums. I may add some swords for the background, and I'm debating on what to use as a ground cover. Suggestions? I may add a few more plants, but other than the groundcover I think I'm basically set once the plants start to fill in.
The fish will be ordered in a couple weeks when the tank has cycled, and when my LFS guy gets back from vacation. I'm narrowing down my fish list daily, and have come up with a pretty good idea as to what I'll get. I love veiled angels, and hope to get four. I understand two will likely pair off, and I'll have to resell the others. These will be the "centerpiece" fish. I really like harlequin rasboras, and will probably get 8-12 of those. The false julii corys are really cool looking, and I would like to get 4-6 of those. Aside from that, I will probably buy some snails to battle any algae that does take place. I like RCS, but am not sure if that would be too much bioload.
I'm sure you guys are tired of reading, so on to the pics. This is the first time I've attempted to add pics here, so bear with me. They were taken on my phone, as it was just the basics. I'll borrow my roommate's camera when it comes time to start taking some serious ones
.the tank before cleaning:
substrate:
the lighting:
a bucket full of plants:
full lighting (plus an actinic that won't be used) and unintentional footscape:
beginning of plant scaping:
a good start before filling:
thanks to anyone who checks the thread out. I am currently filling it, and will probably have pics of it after the water clears in a day or so. Feel free to offer any suggestions or feedback
. I'll also get shots of each of the individual plant types when I can borrow my roommate's camera. 
