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Planted fish tank
- Thread starter tom e
- Start date
mynamesrick
I REP VW
Looking good tom!! i didn't notice before, but i think we have the same filter(the one on the right in the 4th pic). did you just get it or was it hidden in the other pictures? I love that filter! best I've used so far..
Man i need to get a bigger tank!! my little 10g just isn't cutting it! haha
Man i need to get a bigger tank!! my little 10g just isn't cutting it! haha
I am at a loss for that to be honest. When I rescaped (I think that's between the 2nd and 3rd picture) I build a terraced wall at about halfway back, but it all gets covered up anyway. It's kind of hard to make depth in this shape of a 55 (only a foot deep).. I'd sure love to do so though, what would you do to get that?
Yeah I noticed that filter in your pictures too. That's just in there getting seasoned for my 10G. It's only in the one picture, right now it's in my 10G which is getting cycled for Endlers..
You should do a big one! I'm trying to design my 10 right now and it's very challenging. I've got it pretty sparsely planted and I'm waiting for stuff to grow in before I tweak it at all.
mynamesrick
I REP VW
haha thats funny! i was actually going to recommend that filter to you for your 10! I love the filtration, and the flow of the water has some power, but its soft enough not to mess up any plants or anything.. most of my other filters i've used like that were too powerful, even if i turned the flow down.
Hopefully when i start working full time this summer i will get enough money to set up a big one.. i think the substrate for a big one may cost a small fortune.. how much did it take to fill that 55 gallon with substrate?
Hopefully when i start working full time this summer i will get enough money to set up a big one.. i think the substrate for a big one may cost a small fortune.. how much did it take to fill that 55 gallon with substrate?
That was one of the pricier parts of the build. I think it was like 6 gallons of substrate, I got it for like $80 or so. I'll bet there are cheaper ways though.. You could probably use washed 'play sand' with a thin bit of peat from the gardening store, then gravel on top just to hold it all down. Also look at Craiglist for tanks. Great deals!
I put a 'foot' of nylon stockings over the bottom of the filter though, since I don't want it to suck up baby fish or shrimp. Other than that I really dig it. I also bought the 'sponge' filter for the next largest model so that I could throw out the charcoal half. It fit perfectly in the place of the older filling (half sponge half charcoal).. Charcoal isn't ideal for planted tanks I've read because it will absorb nutrients that your plants want to use. I don't plan on fertilizing my 10 at all so I need all the nitrates the fish waste makes.
So I just received some new plants. I got a Polygonum 'Sao Paulo' and some Cabomba furcata. The polygonum is small yet, but it's a really deep almost purple/red, and the cabomba furcata is really pink at the ends, looks like a flower. Some new pics! Plus one of my Bristlenose Pleco who's a new addition. I have lot's of guppy fry too, but no good pictures..
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New tank up!
This is my 42G.. I've got endlers and shrimp. Plants are Anubia nana petit, java ferns and a little bit of christmas moss.
I dig the water color which is not easy to see in these pics, the wood turned it a little bit greenish/brown. It also has some algae appearing that I actually really like! It's like a mossy filamentous algae growing on the wood.
What do you think?
This is my 42G.. I've got endlers and shrimp. Plants are Anubia nana petit, java ferns and a little bit of christmas moss.
I dig the water color which is not easy to see in these pics, the wood turned it a little bit greenish/brown. It also has some algae appearing that I actually really like! It's like a mossy filamentous algae growing on the wood.
What do you think?
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JustineNYC
New member
I so so miss my fish tank!!! I got rid of it when I moved and havent started another.
How many gallons is your tank?
I had loaches which I loved and plecos, one I had for 5 years, boy did I cry when he died
How many gallons is your tank?
I had loaches which I loved and plecos, one I had for 5 years, boy did I cry when he died
VickyChaiTea
Snake enthusiast
Be careful with the bristlenose! Mine DEVOURED my swords and other plants! ;___;
Man, all the tanks in this thread look so much better than mine. I hate you guys.
Man, all the tanks in this thread look so much better than mine. I hate you guys.
LBoz
Original Curmudgeon
This statement surprises me. I breed ancistrus, and I've yet to have a problem with them eating my plants. Since they're relatively slow moving bottom dwellers, they don't hunt down and eat fish, but they will feed off dead fish that fall to the bottom of the tank. Perhaps you're thinking of CAE's?
VickyChaiTea
Snake enthusiast
Nope, I got a bristlenose from Petsmart thinking it would be a nice small pleco to go in my 10gal.
It sort of ate a few plants, but nothing too bad. Until I put it in a 29gal and it DESTROYED my swords. I caught him in the act after coming home from school. It sucked, but the plants survived.
When I moved I gave him to a friend who kept him with goldfish. He shredded their fins. He was a bad mofo. He also harassed the neons he was with and ate them alive when they got sick and couldn't get away from him. (they where old and had bent spines, they couldn't swim too well.)
His name is Davy Jones and he is currently in a 10gal almost by himself. D:
It sort of ate a few plants, but nothing too bad. Until I put it in a 29gal and it DESTROYED my swords. I caught him in the act after coming home from school. It sucked, but the plants survived.
When I moved I gave him to a friend who kept him with goldfish. He shredded their fins. He was a bad mofo. He also harassed the neons he was with and ate them alive when they got sick and couldn't get away from him. (they where old and had bent spines, they couldn't swim too well.)
His name is Davy Jones and he is currently in a 10gal almost by himself. D:
VickyChaiTea
Snake enthusiast
UGH I had something typed out but I accidentally refreshed the page.
Anyway, I got a bristlenose thinking it would go good in my planted 10gal. He munched on a few plants, but nothing too bad. Although he did attack the neons that he lived with and ate them alive. (they where slow, old, and had bent spines)
So I moved him into a planted 29gal, where he DESTROYED my swords. I caught him doing it when I came home from school. The plants survived, thankfully. I gave him to a friend when I moved and they kept him with goldfish, he shredded their fins and harassed one to death.
His name is Davy Jones and he lives in a 10gal practically by himself now.
Anyway, I got a bristlenose thinking it would go good in my planted 10gal. He munched on a few plants, but nothing too bad. Although he did attack the neons that he lived with and ate them alive. (they where slow, old, and had bent spines)
So I moved him into a planted 29gal, where he DESTROYED my swords. I caught him doing it when I came home from school. The plants survived, thankfully. I gave him to a friend when I moved and they kept him with goldfish, he shredded their fins and harassed one to death.
His name is Davy Jones and he lives in a 10gal practically by himself now.
VickyChaiTea
Snake enthusiast
SO WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT. My first post didn't show up for one reason or another. So you get the same story told in slightly different ways. Sorry :C
LBoz
Original Curmudgeon
LOL!..That's ok..happens to the best of us.
I'm not doubting you, but it still seems strange to me. I keep my BNs in a 40g with a ton of shrimp, and they're they're incredibly tame. They ARE veggie eaters by nature, so it MAY have been something lacking in their diet, but that's just a guess. Nice to hear he's still alive and thriving, though! I wouldn't rule them out, though. He might have been dropped on his head as a fry.
I'm not doubting you, but it still seems strange to me. I keep my BNs in a 40g with a ton of shrimp, and they're they're incredibly tame. They ARE veggie eaters by nature, so it MAY have been something lacking in their diet, but that's just a guess. Nice to hear he's still alive and thriving, though! I wouldn't rule them out, though. He might have been dropped on his head as a fry.
VickyChaiTea
Snake enthusiast
I figured he was just a psycho, no one I knew had ever had such an aggressive one. XD
Cflaguy
Old School Snakeman
Funny how this thread popped up.....
again. I was logging in to post on it myself.
Lisa decided to put a live plant in one of her bowls against my advice. It didn't fair to well. Her puffer in the 5.5 experiment ended some time back as well. I advised her to start over with the 5.5 and lets get some whimpy fish. We got a Pineapple Sword and what we used to call a Marigold Platy for cycling. Which it is done. I put the plant, a white ribbon, into the 5.5 and today purchased a Corallife 50/50. I want to stick with that bulb. Lisa found Wal-Mart brand plant bulbs, the incandescent bulbs. I have never had in those bulbs but she wants to use those cause they are $3 opposed to the twelve for the 50/50. What are your opinions of the incandescent planr bulbs?
Also I need a bit more expertise than I have on shallow water plants. The 50/50 is pretty bright, I could get away with plants needing more light. I plan on leaving some space in the front and a gradual elevation useing micrograss and going upward. Will Java Ferns do well in such a small tank? My best success ever was with JF and Wisteria. Amazons will be to big. Not a fan of anacharis. Bananas are a must.
again. I was logging in to post on it myself.
Lisa decided to put a live plant in one of her bowls against my advice. It didn't fair to well. Her puffer in the 5.5 experiment ended some time back as well. I advised her to start over with the 5.5 and lets get some whimpy fish. We got a Pineapple Sword and what we used to call a Marigold Platy for cycling. Which it is done. I put the plant, a white ribbon, into the 5.5 and today purchased a Corallife 50/50. I want to stick with that bulb. Lisa found Wal-Mart brand plant bulbs, the incandescent bulbs. I have never had in those bulbs but she wants to use those cause they are $3 opposed to the twelve for the 50/50. What are your opinions of the incandescent planr bulbs?
Also I need a bit more expertise than I have on shallow water plants. The 50/50 is pretty bright, I could get away with plants needing more light. I plan on leaving some space in the front and a gradual elevation useing micrograss and going upward. Will Java Ferns do well in such a small tank? My best success ever was with JF and Wisteria. Amazons will be to big. Not a fan of anacharis. Bananas are a must.
LBoz
Original Curmudgeon
Craig, I've used Corallifes, but I'm a cheap wench and found that I could use the screw in CF (compact flourescent) in my home made strip lights for much cheaper. I like the GE brand that come in the 65K color. Plants seem to do better between 55K and higher spectrum. I personally don't like the color of the 50/50 as it seems to be a bit too blue for my tastes, but that's just my opinion.
There are a lot of really nice low-light plants that will do well even in ambient lighting. I have the most luck with various varieties of crypts. I DO experience melting when I move them, but they always bounce back. JF's are another good option, but I find that my wisteria prefers higher lighting and a longer photoperiod. Najas, while not liked by some, is a super easy plant to have and when it fills the tank provides an excellent cover for fry. Marimo balls are another thing that I really like in ambient light. They are food magnets, so they require some frequent rinsing, but my shrimp really like them.
Can I ask what kind of puffers Lisa had in the 5.5? That's honestly a bit small for most types aside from dwarfs, and even then I wouldn't advise more than two. The majority of puffers are quite aggressive and do not seem to prefer their own company without having a large amount of sight-breaking plants.
There are a lot of really nice low-light plants that will do well even in ambient lighting. I have the most luck with various varieties of crypts. I DO experience melting when I move them, but they always bounce back. JF's are another good option, but I find that my wisteria prefers higher lighting and a longer photoperiod. Najas, while not liked by some, is a super easy plant to have and when it fills the tank provides an excellent cover for fry. Marimo balls are another thing that I really like in ambient light. They are food magnets, so they require some frequent rinsing, but my shrimp really like them.
Can I ask what kind of puffers Lisa had in the 5.5? That's honestly a bit small for most types aside from dwarfs, and even then I wouldn't advise more than two. The majority of puffers are quite aggressive and do not seem to prefer their own company without having a large amount of sight-breaking plants.
Cflaguy
Old School Snakeman
She tried two.....
Spotted and a Figure Eight. They were solitary. She didn't like the Dwarfs. I had my doubts from the begining but trying to tell you women something.....:duck:
I'm gonna find something to do with the Swordtail and Platy. I want a well planted tank. I'm gonna go with Cardinals/Neons (black as well) or maybe some White Clouds. If I'm not mistaken, I can break the rule of an inch of fish per gallon with the White Clouds. Probably with the Neons as well; inch and a half.
On a side note, we have had a three gallon bowl with two Gourami in it for two months now. Lisa was tired of how fast it got dirty. Whisper makes a cute over the back driven by a pump for a 1-3 gallon. A mix of OVB and the old sponge filter. I'll let ya know if it works.
Spotted and a Figure Eight. They were solitary. She didn't like the Dwarfs. I had my doubts from the begining but trying to tell you women something.....:duck:
I'm gonna find something to do with the Swordtail and Platy. I want a well planted tank. I'm gonna go with Cardinals/Neons (black as well) or maybe some White Clouds. If I'm not mistaken, I can break the rule of an inch of fish per gallon with the White Clouds. Probably with the Neons as well; inch and a half.
On a side note, we have had a three gallon bowl with two Gourami in it for two months now. Lisa was tired of how fast it got dirty. Whisper makes a cute over the back driven by a pump for a 1-3 gallon. A mix of OVB and the old sponge filter. I'll let ya know if it works.
LBoz
Original Curmudgeon
White clouds are awesome fish, especially the long-finned type. Personally, I'd remove one of the gourami from the bowl...labyrinth fish are very aggressive, and the stress of being in such close quarters with another will definitely diminish the longevity of the fish.
For smaller tanks, IMHO, nothing beats the AquaClears. You can use any type of media, they run forever and require only the most basic maintenance. However, trying to tell you men anything....
Come and see me at www.petfish.net/forums I won't torture you TOO badly!!
For smaller tanks, IMHO, nothing beats the AquaClears. You can use any type of media, they run forever and require only the most basic maintenance. However, trying to tell you men anything....
Come and see me at www.petfish.net/forums I won't torture you TOO badly!!
