40 gallon build

40 gallon breeders are 18" tall, and 16" wide IIRC... If your dimensions are different (and it looks like it might be a bit tall for a 40b), and it's in fact 24" tall, then i'd say more than tall enough for veil tails.
I have a 2 year old black marble veil tale that is easily 7-8" tall with the fins spread. It's absolutely beautiful. I keep it in a 75g which is around 23" tall, which is more than tall enough.

Good luck to ya!
 
What a cool tank! Looking forward to this thread's progress. :popcorn:
 
thanks for all the compliments. i'm trying to work on hardscape, but i have yet to find a decent place to buy driftwood around here, and i'm not too confident in ordering online, primarily because i feel shipping prices would be a bit much. i do have some river rocks that i'll probably be picking up tonight
 
quick question: are actinics primarily used for coral coloration and sunrise/sunset imitation? the reason i'm asking is because one of the 96w bulbs is actinic, and it looks kinda like a brighter than normal moonlight lighting. will it bother the fishes sleeping cycle? or plant growth/algae for that matter? here's a pic with it on. i kind of like it.

still taking pictures with a phone, for some reason my roommates micro sd won't read in my computer:
Aquarium 12.jpg

one other quick question: the crypts i received are huge, and were grown bunched, making the leaves tall and thin. would it kill them off to cut them way back, and to cut some of the root systems? the reason i'm asking about the roots is because it's getting almost impossible to keep the roots under the soil.

Aquarium 12.jpg
 
also: i received a bunch of stem plants from a seller on here today. theyre at the other house, and i'll be able to pick them up soon. i will definitely figure out how to upload "good camera" pictures between now and then.
 
not sure if anyone is keeping up with this, but i got a stem plant package from crispino ramos on here, and it is awesome. still working on planting it all, but i did upload some pics today. i also picked up four julii cories, and theyre pretty sweet. i will probably grab 2-3 more at some point, but am concerned with introducing too much at once. the only other inhabitant at the moment is Slam, one of my bettas. i've been watching him closely to make sure he doesn't bother the cories, and bought a 5.5 to put him in at some point anyways, but he seems more curious than anything. he follows them around every now and then, but i've only seen him try to bite once, and that was soon after i put them in. anyways, the package of plants i got came with 100+ stems total, and there were about 20 invididual species. many of them i had never heard of or seen before, and a lot of them are ones that, after research, are much harder to find in the trade. i'm hoping the setup i have will be sufficient, as some of these plants are absolutely stunning. i will do my best to identify the plants in each of the pictures. anyways, on to the fun stuff.

an overall tank shot. all of the floating stuff are stems i have to plant later today.
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Slam, the betta fish.
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The julii corydoras i picked up.
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Mayaca fluviatilis, on the right, and rotala macranda on the left (i believe).
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i have no idea what this is. its cool looking.
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anubias barteri and anubias nana. these are on driftwood and river rock.
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some corkscrew vallisneria on the left (freshly trimmed) and i'm not sure what is on the right.
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another shot of the anubias barteri.
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not sure what this is either, but i like it. the upper leaves are pale purple, i'm guessing because of closer light proximity. i have it directly under the t-8s, and will move it back to the 1x96w if it doesn't look too well.
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here is a list of all the plants included in the stem package i got. i think i may have planted 30-40, so i have around 100 left to do...i'm also beginning to think veiltail's may be too crowded in this tank, as was mentioned before, and possibly angelfish altogether. so now i'm beginning to wonder if i should explore other options for centerpiece fish.

'Fall Semester Plant Package'

Poaceae sp 'Purple Bamboo'
Limnophila sp 'Sulawesi'
Sphaerocaryum malaccense
Limnophila sp 'Vietnam Mini'
Limnophila aromatica 'Green'
Elatine triandra
Hygrophila sp 'Tiger'
Nessaea triflora
Heteranthera zosterifolia
Rotala macranda 'Green'
Hygrophila sp 'Guinea'
Clinopodium cf 'Brownei'
Eichornia diversifolia
Pogostemon stellatus 'Narrow Leaf'
Rotala macranda sp 'Japan Red'
Rotala sp 'Singapore'
Staurogyne sp 'Porto Velho'
Limnophila repens 'Mini'
Pogostemon erectus
Rotala sp 'Vietnam'
Hygrophila sp 'Bihar'
Myriophyllum mattogrossense
Mayaca fluviatilis
Limnophila sp Guinea 'Silver Tip'
Limnophila sp Guinea 'Broad Leaf'

SAM_1079.JPG SAM_1081.JPG SAM_1083.JPG SAM_1085.JPG SAM_1087.JPG SAM_1091.JPG SAM_1092.JPG SAM_1100.JPG SAM_1096.JPG SAM_1094.JPG
 
Dang, that's a LOT of stems! Let's hear it for wet armpits!! Okay, I'm short - maybe just wet sleeves for you. :p:

Have you looked at pearl gourami? :D they'll love all your plants... Maybe 2f/1m pearl trichogaster leeri, 8 julii cories, and 20+ celestial pearl danios? :grinyes: Neon tetras or cardinals would also look stunning with all those plants...

Or forego centerpiece for dwarf neon rainbows?

Okay, I'll stop trying to live vicariously through your big tank :D
 
thanks cobfreak. i'm looking at more hardscape, but i want to see what kind of room i'm working with before i do any serious thinking. in this tank, the plants are honestly guiding the rest of the setup.

fishycat, i like gouramis, but had one and it wasn't one of my favs. the 20+ CPD is extremely tempting. i keep forgetting to ask my lfs guy if he can get em, and at what price. the more i think about it though, the more i think a somewhat small-mediumish fish like a gourami trio would be cool, surrounded by a school of colorful fish and a couple more bottom dwellers.
 
It's tough to fill that "medium-sized, peaceful" fish role without gourami.

If I didn't already have a betta in my 20H, it would be stuffed full of CPD. I have 3 males in my 10g with hopes to find them females soon.
 
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