I'm going to set it back up again

[THE V]

We'll it's been a year since I set this tank back up and I would have had a lot more fish in the tank but.... water company got me with the weather change last week.

So here is the tank today



Specifications.

No CO2.
The same 23W CFL lights
Made up my own mix of ferts based upon my plants needs. 3X per week or there about's fertilizing.
Weekly, well mostly weekly water changes with the occasional 3-4 week dirty spell while I'm jaunting around the globe.

Stocking - Whats left...

3 BN pleco's,
4 Iran Rainbows
2 Neon Blue Rainbows
6 Angels

Lost: Guppies, congo tetra's, rams, gourami's, Neon tetras, & SAE's last week.



The crypts are really lovely in the foreground. They are tall enough that the angels and BN hide in them but low enough for the rainbows to have open water.


I keep having to tear off leaves from this Amazon sword to keep it under control. It looks like it needs another trimming.




Kind of out of control on this side of the tank but I like it. I need to do a good plant cleaning.

It's pretty much the center piece of our formal dining room and living room. It's the first thing that everyone sees when they step in the door. I get a lot of shocked looks the first time people come over.

Whats next..... Perhaps upgrading the CFL to LED lighting? Or else we can do a male guppy corner tank in the family room. Going to have to fire back up the QT tanks in the garage and restock my diminished stocking first in the big tank.

BTW just for fun I've got a male betta in the garage in a heavily planted 15 gallon tank. He's spoiled rotten to say the least having it all to himself. He does only get a water change ever 2-3 months though for some reason. LOL. It's a wee bit dirty right now. The timer broke for the lights so they've been on 24/7 for the past few months.

 

[ROYWS3]

I just love this tank! I love the fact that it's all rosette plants - not a stem plant to be found, yet it's absolutely stunning

 

[rufioman]

Awesome, man....great shots!

 

[BigTankLilFish]

I just read this thread from beginning to end and have to say that I'm envious of the knowledge you have. I'd LOVE to set up a tank like this but have never had any plants. Looks like I'm going to have to try this out on a smaller tank and see how it goes. Great job!!

 

[THE V]

Warning: Don't go too small on the tank....

Every time I try to grow plants in a tank smaller than 15 gallons it turns into an algae farm. I did a DIY CO2 injection into one 10 gallon the ended up as a giant hair algae mess. This 125 gallon tank brings new meaning to easy care. I'm debating doing my second filter cleaning on the tank this month. Maybe when I take two weeks off at the end of the year.

I'm still thinking about doing a 2.5gallion shrimp tank at my office. I've had half of the supplies sitting in my desk for 8 months now. I'm just a little skeptical of setting up a small tank that the most times I'm around is 12 times per month and some months only 1 day. I'm thinking a planted shrimp tank on an autofeeder i.e. admin assistant.

 

[BigTankLilFish]

If I were going to do it, it would be in a 20gal that I have sitting in the basement. Its not doing anything right now and I think it may be fun. Is that still too small?

 

[THE V]

20 gallons is big enough to be more forgiving than the smaller tanks. Just be sure to remember that a healthy planted tanks is a balance between the lighting, fertilizers, stocking, & substrate.

It's best if you plan it all out before you start. There's a lot of variables that need to be in balance.

You also have to plan on them being out of balance when you start and settling down over time. On the big tank I spent 3 months squishing ramshorns snails until the plants and BN pleco's got big enough to balance the tank. I also had to clean the glass every couple of days to keep the brown algae down.

Unless your very lucky your first attempt will be an unmitigated disaster. Anybody who does a planted tank right the first time should be beaten with a stick. So learn from your mistakes and keep trying. That's what makes having a beautiful tank at the end worth it.

 

[BigTankLilFish]

I'm thinking you should right a book and then sell it to me so I can learn from your mistakes.lol It'll be cheaper for me. I'm going to need to do a lot of research on substrates, invertebrates and ferts as I know next to nothing about them. I just got my first plants the other day. (Star Grass) Its not dead yet so I'm happy.lol

 

[THE V]

Alas the lure of the small planted tank has it in its evil grip again.

2.5 gallon tank that is for my much negleted office. I sometimes am only at my desk 1 or 2 days in a month.

I'm going to give it a month before I attempt to add in some shrimp. For now it will remain hidden safely on the garage.

E. parviflorus and a small crypt are the current inhabitants. Along with a few MTS to help reduce any algae.
View attachment 203238

 

[THE V]

Well the little tank set a record for fastest creation of an algae farm. Lots of food for the shrimp I'm going to add in.

I realized today that the cfl's above the big tank have been on for over a year now. I replaced them all today. Major improvement to the light levels. I was tempted to pick up some larger bulbs for the ends.

I also bought some more fish this week. Got a few more angels, 20 WCMM, and some gold barbs in the QT tanks.