# Elmo's ADA 60P ~ Tropical Blackwater Riparium ~ HD Video Update 1/29/13



## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

Woo...60p...wood....3d background...LED....I'm in...subscribed!


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## CobraGuppy (Sep 23, 2007)

Oh my gosh, that is such a teaser shot ! Haha. I can't wait to see this tank progress  sounds awesome !


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## eser21 (Apr 19, 2011)

how disappointing, i always assumed that the ADA logo was acid etching into the tank not a cheap sticker!
still nice tanks though!!


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Haha, thanks guys...it looks like the filter will be here tomorrow, and everything else will arrive on Saturday. Then I just have to wait for the driftwood to show up. Last time it took about 10 days, so I expect it to be here about Thursday of next week, then maybe I can show you the actual results lol....


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

sounds like its gonna be awesoem! what are the dimesnions of a 60-p?


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

orchidman said:


> sounds like its gonna be awesoem! what are the dimesnions of a 60-p?


Roughly 24"L x 12"W x 14"H


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## boon (Mar 29, 2006)

is there a link to the 3d background that you are getting?


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Forgot to mention, this _will _be a biotope, 99% sure....


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## kuni (May 7, 2010)

3D rock background + amazon biotope?


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

kuni said:


> 3D rock background + amazon biotope?



Maybe you'll understand when you see it :icon_wink


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## boon (Mar 29, 2006)

Where are you getting that 3d bg from? I'm interested in getting one for my 60p also.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

boon said:


> Where are you getting that 3d bg from? I'm interested in getting one for my 60p also.


Well it wouldn't be any fun if everybody had one :biggrin: Besides I want it to be a surprise. Let me get mine first and then I'll tell you! (Maybe lol)


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## boon (Mar 29, 2006)

Damn, those does look nice. I hope you are getting the one that I think you're getting. Lol. 

Thanks for the info. I'm not doing it just yet so you're good. Maybe in 2-3months time perhaps. I want to see your first. 

Subscribe


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

I wonder if you can hide stuff behind the 3D background....hurry up elmo...me wants to looky


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

boon said:


> Where are you getting that 3d bg from? I'm interested in getting one for my 60p also.





boon said:


> Damn, those does look nice. I hope you are getting the one that I think you're getting. Lol.
> 
> Thanks for the info. I'm not doing it just yet so you're good. Maybe in 2-3months time perhaps. I want to see your first.
> 
> Subscribe


Hah probably not the one you're thinking. This one is neither complex nor pricey, so yeah, probably not some super awesome cool background your thinking of lol...



shrimpnmoss said:


> I wonder if you can hide stuff behind the 3D background....hurry up elmo...me wants to looky


Nope, its a "solid" material, so I can't hide anything behind it, wish I could though...

And you're telling me! I must have checked the tracking page on my fedex order 52 times today...still hasn't changed for a while....still says its pretty far away.....hoping Saturday is accurate.....or maybe the reason it hasn't updated is because they've been so busy getting it here extra fast, and it'll be delivered tomorrow! (Yeah right lol...)

Not that it matters much, driftwood probably won't be here till late next week anyways :icon_conf

For fauna, I've been thinking oto's, some beckfords pencilfish, and well, thats all I got for now lol....anybody have any ideas on a fish that stays relatively small, like a dwarf variety of some kind, thats also flashy/colorful? I'm looking for a display fish/pair of fish, and I'm not finding anything. I liked the pearl gouramis but they're native to asia and I think the tank is too small for a pair of GBRs...


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

For some reason, I was thinking the background was made of foam. Apparently after checking, its not....I'm not sure how much depth it has, but if it has even a small amount, I'll definitely be making caves! I'd say I'd make a small tunnel system, but then I would NEVER NEVER NEVER be able to get all the fish out if needed lol....so if possible, I'll stick to caves....

This just got more exciting lol, caves = awesome!

EDIT: It appears to be flat on the back....I could still make caves by placing the background farther from the back of the tank, but I don't think I will since I'm already tight on tank depth (only 12" of depth)


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

Those new rice fish look cool. Oryzias woworae. Wouldn't a biotope limit you to the fish to the region you're representing though? Or are you just going biotope in looks and water parameters?


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

shrimpnmoss said:


> Those new rice fish look cool. Oryzias woworae. Wouldn't a biotope limit you to the fish to the region you're representing though? Or are you just going biotope in looks and water parameters?


Yeah, I'm trying to go biotope in the fish too, I'm pretty sure pencilfish and the otos are from the amazon. I was saying I like the pearl gouramis but they wont fit since theyre from the asian region :icon_conf


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

Baby South American Arowana it is then.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

shrimpnmoss said:


> Baby South American Arowana it is then.


Haha, yeah okay, good one lol....


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## demonr6 (Mar 14, 2011)

boon said:


> Where are you getting that 3d bg from? I'm interested in getting one for my 60p also.


eBay, look up 3D aquarium background. There are usually a few there available.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

demonr6 said:


> eBay, look up 3D aquarium background. There are usually a few there available.


True, but just so everyone knows, it's not where I got mine...


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

_*It's Coming*_


0600 ~ Launch is Imminent by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr

Full launch is now completely dependent on when I receive my driftwood. I finally received all the other supplies today. Background has been installed, sand is in, light is good to go, filter is setup and ready for water. Just have to go to Home Depot tomorrow for a final few pieces, and then wait for the driftwood. Spent all day setting everything up and getting the aquarium perfectly level, which is especially important with rimless aquariums since you see the water line everywhere and at all times. 

After I get the driftwood setup, I may add a few plants depending on how it looks. Probably just a limited few anubias and some duckweed.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

This is a fine, nerdy point, but from my ****** experience with Spanish the word _costa_ generally refers to an ocean coast and might sound funny in reference to a river shore. 

I might be wrong though. Maybe somewhere they do use that word like that. 

I remember the word _orilla_ as pretty standard meaning for "riverbank".


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> This is a fine, nerdy point, but from my ****** experience with Spanish the word _costa_ generally refers to an ocean coast and might sound funny in reference to a river shore.
> 
> I might be wrong though. Maybe somewhere they do use that word like that.
> 
> I remember the word _orilla_ as pretty standard meaning for "riverbank".


Damn, but Costa sounds so much cooler! I guess orilla is okay too...maybe I'll leave it for now, unless somebody knows for sure. That's what I get for being white and using google translate lol....


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

If you want the best translation you should see if you can get some input from a native Spanish speaker. 

Of course, almost all of the length of the river is in Brazil--maybe the headwaters are in Colombia or Peru??--where they speak Portugese. I can't help at all with Portugese.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> If you want the best translation you should see if you can get some input from a native Spanish speaker.
> 
> Of course, almost all of the length of the river is in Brazil--maybe the headwaters are in Colombia or Peru??--where they speak Portugese. I can't help at all with Portugese.


Yeah, maybe somebody here speaks Spanish natively lol...either word sounds pretty cool lol...


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

Are you cycling yet? That wood is going to take a week or two to sink anyways..


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

P.S. You guys can have one more pic I forgot about, just some equipment :icon_mrgr


0657 ~ Some of the Equipment by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Yep I just went to check and the uppermost part of the Amazon runs in Peru. The whole rest of the river is in Brazil.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

shrimpnmoss said:


> Are you cycling yet? That wood is going to take a week or two to sink anyways..


Nope, I plan to use the water from my 40B to fill the tank, and some of the filter media to jump-start it. I wanted the tank empty for the driftwood to make placement easier.

And I shouldn't have to worry about the sinking period :icon_mrgr


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Teaser video to come by mid-day tomorrow. It _will _reveal the overall design, stand, accent lighting, etc, but the tank will not be filled in the video and there will be no driftwood yet. Just the sand and background in the tank...

roud:


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## gnod (Mar 24, 2011)

i think this tank may have been the one used ADA tank i've seen sold around ny area so far... haha i was so tempted to get it, good thing you beat me to it.
looking forward to your setup!


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

gnod said:


> i think this tank may have been the one used ADA tank i've seen sold around ny area so far... haha i was so tempted to get it, good thing you beat me to it.
> looking forward to your setup!


Haha yeah definitely, that's why I jumped at the chance. Buying ADA tanks isn't the expensive/hard part, its the shipping that kills you! Figured this was my chance lol...thanks though, the video should be done soon....


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

TickleMyElmo said:


> Teaser video to come by mid-day tomorrow. It _will _reveal the overall design, stand, accent lighting, etc, but the tank will not be filled in the video and there will be no driftwood yet. Just the sand and background in the tank...
> 
> roud:


Come on Elmo...you can't post a teaser of a teaser....what's up with that? lol...break out that X100 and get snapping.:flick:


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

shrimpnmoss said:


> Come on Elmo...you can't post a teaser of a teaser....what's up with that? lol...break out that X100 and get snapping.:flick:


+1 Hurry up, Elmo!:bounce:


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Video is up! Make sure you watch it in 1080p HD!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KlwMRPpnzI


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

Nice video, that rock background looks fantastic!


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

That's a clean install. I like the light setup and the background. How thick is that 3d background? 

Only way to get your tank even cleaner is lily pipes.

No wonder the video took so long..you were doing some post production editing.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

zachary908 said:


> Nice video, that rock background looks fantastic!


Thanks! I like it a lot...



shrimpnmoss said:


> That's a clean install. I like the light setup and the background. How thick is that 3d background?
> 
> Only way to get your tank even cleaner is lily pipes.
> 
> No wonder the video took so long..you were doing some post production editing.


Thanks, I went to great lengths to make sure the filter inlet and outlet tubing was symmetrical to give it that clean look lol....

At it's thickest, the background is an inch and a quarter deep....

And I plan to order a set of knockoff lily pipes from Ebay, but figured I better show you guys a video or _something_ now before you all explode lol...

And yeah, I was trying a new video editing software. Ended up not really knowing how to use it, making it take even longer lol...


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## Uptown193 (Apr 25, 2011)

Ohhhhhhh....So it was you. Your the one that bought that tank before I had a chance to, hmmmmmmmmmmmm... Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr........:icon_evil :icon_sad:


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Uptown193 said:


> Ohhhhhhh....So it was you. Your the one that bought that tank before I had a chance to, hmmmmmmmmmmmm... Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr........:icon_evil :icon_sad:


LOL, yeah...I wanted the tank as soon as I saw it. I always wanted an ADA tank but shipping was always killer, so I jumped on this when I saw it...


But it's okay! You can have visitation rights on here! :icon_lol:


Okay okay, sorry I ninja'd your fish tank :icon_sad: lol...


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## Uptown193 (Apr 25, 2011)

TickleMyElmo said:


> LOL, yeah...I wanted the tank as soon as I saw it. I always wanted an ADA tank but shipping was always killer, so I jumped on this when I saw it...
> 
> 
> But it's okay! You can have visitation rights on here! :icon_lol:
> ...


Lol. Its ok. I just ordered a new one today from a place in San Francisco and it only costs an extra $60 for the shipping so it is still very affordable, for me at least. I also ordered some new Amazonia powder substrate in black. So I should be right behind you. :bounce:


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Uptown193 said:


> Lol. Its ok. I just ordered a new one today from a place in San Francisco and it only costs an extra $60 for the shipping so it is still very affordable, for me at least. I also ordered some new Amazonia powder substrate in black. So I should be right behind you. :bounce:


Nice, that's not too bad at all. I have to say after having an ADA tank I don't think I'll ever buy a non-ADA tank again. The quality is awesome :icon_smil


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

Just incase you wanted a second opinion, I asked my house keeper (who is a native Spanish speaker) if "costa" or "orilla" would be more appropriate in this context. She said costa is used for oceans, while orilla is used for rivers and lakes. I do agree though that costa sounds better.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

AzFishKid said:


> Just incase you wanted a second opinion, I asked my house keeper (who is a native Spanish speaker) if "costa" or "orilla" would be more appropriate in this context. She said costa is used for oceans, while orilla is used for rivers and lakes. I do agree though that costa sounds better.


Haha yeah, I changed it to say orilla on the video, I'll change it to orilla here now...


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

TickleMyElmo said:


> Nice, that's not too bad at all. I have to say after having an ADA tank I don't think I'll ever buy a non-ADA tank again. The quality is awesome :icon_smil


You want to de-rim your 40 now huh? As you said before, the tank part of the build is not where most of the money goes anyways. Its all the stuff that goes in and around the tank to run the set up and the operational cost of running a tank that's the REAL money pit. 

I feel the same way no reason not to invest a little more in the beginning on something you're going to stare at everyday. Say a 20g will cost about $25.00 for dollar a gallon plus tax. Versus $120.00 for a 17.5g 60p. $100.000 more....you're going to spend $1000-$1500...to set up and run your tank for the year anyways. It is really about a 10%-15% uplift for something really nice....well that's how I look at it...


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## Uptown193 (Apr 25, 2011)

TickleMyElmo said:


> Nice, that's not too bad at all. I have to say after having an ADA tank I don't think I'll ever buy a non-ADA tank again. The quality is awesome :icon_smil


Oh really? Is there that much of a difference in person? I only seen them via video and photos. I have only seen Petco tanks in person. Damn, now I am even more excited to get mine. I am going to be like a kid in a candy store or xmas morning. I also ordered a Garden Mat and 2 difference color substrates the Black Aqua Soil New Amazonia and the Sarawak Sand so I can have a contrast as well as the Power Sand Special. :icon_smil :fish:


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## boon (Mar 29, 2006)

Uptown193 said:


> Oh really? Is there that much of a difference in person? I only seen them via video and photos. I have only seen Petco tanks in person. Damn, now I am even more excited to get mine. I am going to be like a kid in a candy store or xmas morning. I also ordered a Garden Mat and 2 difference color substrates the Black Aqua Soil New Amazonia and the Sarawak Sand so I can have a contrast as well as the Power Sand Special. :icon_smil :fish:


Yes there is a difference in clarity. It's hard to describe but you'll have to see it for yourself. Once you have ADA it's hard to go back. I have 3 myself and I want more.


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## Uptown193 (Apr 25, 2011)

boon said:


> Yes there is a difference in clarity. It's hard to describe but you'll have to see it for yourself. Once you have ADA it's hard to go back. I have 3 myself and I want more.


Oh no don't tell me its going to be an addiction. :eek5: :drool:


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

shrimpnmoss said:


> You want to de-rim your 40 now huh? As you said before, the tank part of the build is not where most of the money goes anyways. Its all the stuff that goes in and around the tank to run the set up and the operational cost of running a tank that's the REAL money pit.
> 
> I feel the same way no reason not to invest a little more in the beginning on something you're going to stare at everyday. Say a 20g will cost about $25.00 for dollar a gallon plus tax. Versus $120.00 for a 17.5g 60p. $100.000 more....you're going to spend $1000-$1500...to set up and run your tank for the year anyways. It is really about a 10%-15% uplift for something really nice....well that's how I look at it...


Yeah I definitely agree, might as well pay the premium once and not regret it down the road...

And there will be no de-rimming of any tanks...I already had a 125g saltwater tank break and leak all 125 gallons all over my floor, I don't need that again lol...

Besides, I would always keep the rim on the 40B, otherwise it wouldn't match the 125g lizard tank across from it (Same style tank and stands)



Uptown193 said:


> Oh really? Is there that much of a difference in person? I only seen them via video and photos. I have only seen Petco tanks in person. Damn, now I am even more excited to get mine. I am going to be like a kid in a candy store or xmas morning. I also ordered a Garden Mat and 2 difference color substrates the Black Aqua Soil New Amazonia and the Sarawak Sand so I can have a contrast as well as the Power Sand Special. :icon_smil :fish:





boon said:


> Yes there is a difference in clarity. It's hard to describe but you'll have to see it for yourself. Once you have ADA it's hard to go back. I have 3 myself and I want more.





Uptown193 said:


> Oh no don't tell me its going to be an addiction. :eek5: :drool:


Yeah theres definitely a difference. For example, I can't even see/feel the silicone on my ADA tank, its like the 4 panes of glass are magically held together lol....

It seems like it's definitely going to be an addiction for me, from now on, its ADA tanks only, well worth the price premium...:thumbsup:


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Bad news and good news! The bad news is that my manzanita is apparently stuck in the mail system, and is back at a post office in California....Unfortunately I'm in NJ, so it must have been sent back or messed up in the mail system. It appears to be lost in the mail, but who knows if it will or will not be found lol...

The good news is that I filled the tank anyways, to get the cycle going. It should be a very very short cycle since I used the bio-media and water from my 40B...

I put up a video (in 1080p of course!) of the shimmer effect....short but sweet lol....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSA-x6OUAeg


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## PRSRocker3390 (Apr 20, 2009)

Extremely jealous of this tank! I loved the clarity, the LEDs are sweet! The install is really clean! Loving this tank! Definitely will be watching it along!


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## PRSRocker3390 (Apr 20, 2009)

Oh and you need to reveal where you got that background and what did you use exactly to suspend the lights? Just because I love the cleanliness of it all!


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

PRSRocker3390 said:


> Extremely jealous of this tank! I loved the clarity, the LEDs are sweet! The install is really clean! Loving this tank! Definitely will be watching it along!


Thanks! I really did try to make this as clean as possible lol...



PRSRocker3390 said:


> Oh and you need to reveal where you got that background and what did you use exactly to suspend the lights? Just because I love the cleanliness of it all!


I'll neverrr tellllll!!!!! Neverrrrrrrrr!!!!!! 

lol :biggrin:

As far as hanging the light fixture, I just used some shelving brackets from Lowes. They had nicer, fancier ones, but they only came in white :icon_frow I wanted black to match the light fixture so these will have to do lol...

Bracket:

DSC_0705 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr

Then I just used a simple J hook to attach to the bracket (They didn't have anything smaller....bastards!):

DSC_0707 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr

The J hook is secured in place with a simple nut, which came with the hook:

DSC_0709 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr

It's then attached to 4 S-Hooks, which attach to 4 eye-bolts attached to the light fixture:

DSC_0710 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr

I used black chain from Lowe's, I had them cut it into 4 four 12-inch pieces...I had planned to use steel cable, but the nice thing about the chain is that I can adjust the height or remove the fixture at any time, for more or less light/tank maintenance, etc...


Total cost for all the hardware: $8.99


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

man I'm loving that rock background...is there a slightly darker sand?...since you're going biotope and all...a slightly darker sand might look more "natural"...not black sand.....but more beige or light brown....prolly stay cleaner too


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

shrimpnmoss said:


> man I'm loving that rock background...is there a slightly darker sand?...since you're going biotope and all...a slightly darker sand might look more "natural"...not black sand.....but more beige or light brown....prolly stay cleaner too


Yeah, I was thinking about it and wondering how noticeable it was....

I'll have to find some darker sand :biggrin: I don't know where though lol....


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

TickleMyElmo said:


> Yeah, I was thinking about it and wondering how noticeable it was....
> 
> I'll have to find some darker sand :biggrin: I don't know where though lol....


I love the shimmer effect and the background too! 

The substrate will get darker ice you get fish Nd they poop!


You can call me Bob


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## Uptown193 (Apr 25, 2011)

TickleMyElmo said:


> They had nicer, fancier ones, but they only came in white :icon_frow I wanted black to match the light fixture so these will have to do lol...


Black spray paint would resolve that problem and you can do the 4 eye-bolts and S-hooks as well.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Good news everybody! My manzanita driftwood appeared out of nowhere on my doorstep today! I guess it wasn't so lost in the mail after all lol...


DSC_0779 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

I went out and bought two other brands of pool filter sand....I'm liking the one on the right more....the left is very fine and dull colored, while the right is more gravely and much more natural looking in texture and color

What do you think? I say right side, especially for an amazon biotope:


DSC_0781 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

+1 for right side...looks more natural...it'll look really nice....


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## gnod (Mar 24, 2011)

+2 for right side...what's it called?


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

The new sand and manzanita is in.....the new sand looks amazing! Looks completely natural...I'm half tempted to replace the sand in my 40B with it...I also added quite a few river rocks, which give it that authentic look.

A really cool effect is that since I have the spraybar in and pointed at the surface, it creates a really strong ripple where it hits a certain piece of driftwood, making it look like an actual flowing river....its awesome to say the least...

I also added a shelf to the brackets, gives it a furnished look. I got the same color as my stand, so it matches really well...

As far as the play sand, I don't think it has an actual name, just says "POOL FILTER SAND" but it's great stuff! Cheap too! $6.00 for a 50lb bag...


0786 ~ New Pool Filter Sand by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr



More pics to come tonight when the water clears!


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## PRSRocker3390 (Apr 20, 2009)

The sand on the right is really nice! Wish I could run into that in a store. I gave up on Pool Filter Sand here since they all are so ridiculously light in color, almost whitish. 

This tank is sounding better and better each post!


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

i say the one on the right. after a week with fish, the one on the left will look like that anyways. lol! i had that same sand before. the next bag i got was different, but the only one they had. my newest one is too white


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Thanks everybody! Definitely glad I went with the sand on the right...

In other news, the tank is now complete. New sand, manzanita, river rocks, and now plants are in! The water is still a little cloudy (bacteria colony forming) but I'll post up some pics in a hour/hour and a half or so!

:bounce:


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

wohoo! cant wait for pics


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## PRSRocker3390 (Apr 20, 2009)

Yes I am dying to see the newest pics!:icon_mrgr


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

You know, I just realized anubias are from Africa.....damn! Oh well, it looks nice, I don't really care lol...at first I wasn't going to use any plants, but now that I did, I'm glad.....really makes the whole thing "pop"...

On a positive note, the driftwood hides the filter intake really well! lol...


DSC_0815 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0797 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0794 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0811 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr




Better pics/video to come soon!


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

Very nice tank just like your other one. Quit making everyone fell inadequate at taking pictures of their tanks and break out the cell phone and snap a few.j/k


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## 10galfornow (May 13, 2011)

holy sheet :drool:


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

ua hua said:


> Very nice tank just like your other one. Quit making everyone fell inadequate at taking pictures of their tanks and break out the cell phone and snap a few.j/k


Haha I'm just getting started, those are just the teaser pics of the real pics  But thanks!


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

ugh! you make everyone else feel like crap! why are you so cool?


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

_Anubias_? Really? 


Ah well, the tank still looks amazing! (As usual!)


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

The wood looks fantastic! You can almost drop the water a bit and make it ripariumish and have some plants growing out. Then it would really look like a river bank.

Did you decide on the fish yet? Piranha would look at home here...hehe...a school of Piranhas that you can feed culls to....


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

10galfornow said:


> holy sheet :drool:


Haha, thanks :icon_lol:



orchidman said:


> ugh! you make everyone else feel like crap! why are you so cool?


My bad lol...



RipariumGuy said:


> _Anubias_? Really?
> 
> 
> Ah well, the tank still looks amazing! (As usual!)


Thanks! I needed low light plants lol...



shrimpnmoss said:


> The wood looks fantastic! You can almost drop the water a bit and make it ripariumish and have some plants growing out. Then it would really look like a river bank.
> 
> Did you decide on the fish yet? Piranha would look at home here...hehe...a school of Piranhas that you can feed culls to....


Haha I was actually thinking about that, it would look pretty sick!

For fish, I cant decide if I want a bunch of smaller fish, like beckfords pencilfish, ottos, neons or rummynose etc...or if I want just a bunch of ottos and two german blue rams...decisions, decisions lol


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

looks good!!! can't wait to see the new video!! and are you planning on straightening the substrate?


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## 10galfornow (May 13, 2011)

i think you should do a school of 15-20 cardinal tetras, and pair of blue rams, and 3-5 otos if you are still keeping with the biotope. but do what you want that's just my suggestion. :icon_bigg


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

10galfornow said:


> i think you should do a school of 15-20 cardinal tetras, and pair of blue rams, and 3-5 otos if you are still keeping with the biotope. but do what you want that's just my suggestion. :icon_bigg


Isn't that a lot for 17gal tank :icon_eek: Maybe I could get away with neons, and less of them...more like 8 max? lol


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

chris.rivera3 said:


> looks good!!! can't wait to see the new video!! and are you planning on straightening the substrate?


On the front, yes....from front to back, no. I actually added sand a few hours ago, it was too flat front to back before,....it had no sense of depth, so I added a nice little slope :icon_bigg

I know the front is unlevel. I meant to fix it, but I'm done touching the tank for the night lol....its really hard to move your hand around in there without bumping into the driftwood, plus I've already dumped plenty of water on the floor for the night lol....I have to drain the tank a little bit every time I want to put my hand in or it'll spill over the sides haha...


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

You're going to need Otos anyways to minimize the fuzz on the wood. I vote a school of Pencilfish like 11....a couple of GBR to scare the pencils to school...and some Otos...with enough plants and a mature tank...your 60p should easily be able to sustain that load...

If no one buys my extra ADA 30c set on the SnS, then I'm going to bite you big time and do a mini version, but with shrimps...how much background do you have left after cutting it? If you have a 12x12x11 piece left I'll buy it off you.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

shrimpnmoss said:


> You're going to need Otos anyways to minimize the fuzz on the wood. I vote a school of Pencilfish like 11....a couple of GBR to scare the pencils to school...and some Otos...with enough plants and a mature tank...your 60p should easily be able to sustain that load...


Yeah that actually sounds pretty cool. The filtration is pretty heavy, its so strong that before I put the driftwood in it was blowing the sand away from the right side and turning it into a bare-bottom tank, and that's with the spray bar pointed up! I tried the jet nozzle, and water sprayed out of the tank in a steady flow lol...I'd use the flow adjuster but there's not really enough room when its horizontal, plus I know the filter will slow down and reduce its flow once it gets saturated with debris and bacteria, etc...

EDIT: The only thing left over was a strip of 24inches x 1 inch lol, and it was in multiple pieces....I just threw it out lol...


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

Maybe instead of the rams try to find some Apistogramma panduro or Apistogramma nijsseni. Very cool little dwarf cichlids. Check out the pictures in these links.


http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/fish/139346-apistogramma-panduro-w-c-juvies.html


http://www.aqua-fish.net/show.php?h=apistogrammanijsseni


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

ua hua said:


> Maybe instead of the rams try to find some Apistogramma panduro or Apistogramma nijsseni. Very cool little dwarf cichlids. Check out the pictures in these links.
> 
> 
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/fish/139346-apistogramma-panduro-w-c-juvies.html
> ...


Wow, thanks for the suggestion...those look awesome! I'm definitely going to look into those right now, I cant decide which ones I like better though lol...


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

TickleMyElmo said:


> Wow, thanks for the suggestion...those look awesome! I'm definitely going to look into those right now, I cant decide which ones I like better though lol...


 
I know that Wet Spot Tropical Fish usually has both of these in stock and the Apistogramma nijsseni they have on Aqua bid right now. I have heard nothing but good things about Wet Spot Tropical and plan on getting a group of the panduros once this heat goes away. Do a seach on Aqua bid or go directly to their site.


http://www.wetspottropicalfish.com/


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## 10galfornow (May 13, 2011)

mmm depends how many plants you have....


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

ua hua said:


> I know that Wet Spot Tropical Fish usually has both of these in stock and the Apistogramma nijsseni they have on Aqua bid right now. I have heard nothing but good things about Wet Spot Tropical and plan on getting a group of the panduros once this heat goes away. Do a seach on Aqua bid or go directly to their site.
> 
> 
> http://www.wetspottropicalfish.com/


Thanks, I'll probably get the pencils/ottos first, and then I'll definitely be checking aquabid! Figure I'll make them the newcomers so they don't get too aggressive lol...

Plus I have to wait for the cycle! That should be over soon though since I used the water and filter media from my 40B.



10galfornow said:


> mmm depends how many plants you have....


Good point. I plan to keep it about the way it is, but probably replace the anubias with something more accurate to the amazon lol....



In other news, the video is up! Nothing fancy, no fancy angles, no fancy camera movement,....just the mesmerizing shimmer :icon_eek:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmWh0U1jEZ0


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Oh yeah, I'm thinking of making this a very tannin induced tank. I was thinking of getting some indian almond leaves to give it the natural tannin color. It would also benefit the apistogrammas if I get them ( and I most likely will)

Only thing with Apistos is that I want a pair, but I really don't want to have to raise any fry...but I figure if I leave the males in the tank they and the pencilfish will pick of any fry/eggs quickly...


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## 10galfornow (May 13, 2011)

i say you go with the school of whatever you choose first, then get the apistos, and finally the otos. your bio-load shouldn't be too overwhelming and you are going in the order of least sensitive fish to more sensitive fish. check out the cardinals, and bigger school of them looks amazing. If you were just gonna go with a school of them you could probably get about 25-30. It would look incredible.

here's a close up pic of them:









and a school:


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Yeah cardinals are nice,...I still cant decide 

I actually still have to get a heater for the tank. I was planning on using a marineland stealth heater, but apparently those blow up. I have the older models, not the newer pro versions. I never did anything about it because for the longest time they were only recalling the pro versions, but I checked and it seems like it now includes the regular stealth  I have a stealth in my 40B too....guess I have to find a replacement for that one too :icon_conf Maybe I'll get a Hydor in line heater for this tank, but using 200w on a 17g tank worries me....

Maybe I'll use those "Fluval E Advanced Electronic Heaters" instead...


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

I use a Hydor inline 200w for both my 60p and 30c no problems.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

shrimpnmoss said:


> I use a Hydor inline 200w for both my 60p and 30c no problems.


Yeah I think I'll order one...did it come with clamps for where the hose attaches to the heater? Trying to figure out if I have to make a stop at Home Depot/Lowes lol...


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

No clamps needed. It has 1/2 inch barbed tip with a ring screw. You might need some velcro sticker straps to hide it behind the tank.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Awesome, I already have some velcro fasteners...any idea what size I need for my xp2 filter tubing? I see they have two versions of the 200W, one for 12mm (1/2inch) tubing and one for 16mm (5/8inch) tubing...


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

I believe all rena xp1, xp2 and xp3 are 5/8" ...can someone verify this?




TickleMyElmo said:


> Awesome, I already have some velcro fasteners...any idea what size I need for my xp2 filter tubing? I see they have two versions of the 200W, one for 12mm (1/2inch) tubing and one for 16mm (5/8inch) tubing...


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## PRSRocker3390 (Apr 20, 2009)

I believe it should be 5/8" tubing. I own both an XP3 and XP2. The tubing seems identical and I've hooked up my XP3 to a PVC reactor before and had to use 5/8" barb. I'm 99.9% sure all XP models are 5/8"


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

chris.rivera3 said:


> I believe all rena xp1, xp2 and xp3 are 5/8" ...can someone verify this?





PRSRocker3390 said:


> I believe it should be 5/8" tubing. I own both an XP3 and XP2. The tubing seems identical and I've hooked up my XP3 to a PVC reactor before and had to use 5/8" barb. I'm 99.9% sure all XP models are 5/8"


Yeah I think I've heard 5/8" before too.....5/8" it is! lol

Thanks guys!


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## Uptown193 (Apr 25, 2011)

Hey your tank is coming out very nice and unique. Is that regular sand in the tank or substrate? I was not sure if regular sand could grow plants that is why I ask.

I like that fact that you added a shelf it sure does make it look more complete. I would got for a school of fish. I like how they swim in an orderly fashion however, that Piranha idea sounds good too.

Are you going to leave it on that stand or are you going to build or buy an ADA type stand? 

I can't wait to get my ADA 60P which is scheduled for Friday afternoon but I will not be able to set up til I decide on a stand and filter. I have to find out which is better the XP2/3 or Eheim 2215/17.


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## oldbonehead (Jul 18, 2011)

Very nice. I like the tree root look. It looks like your manzies are leaning against the back. Any chance or way of making them stand on their own. Maybe some rocks to help?
As for the plants, I think you need some moss and a few anubias tied to the branch or root stems(?) of your manzies. A few A. petite may help to vary the look and give the impression of different growth. Variety is a good.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Uptown193 said:


> Hey your tank is coming out very nice and unique. Is that regular sand in the tank or substrate? I was not sure if regular sand could grow plants that is why I ask.
> 
> I like that fact that you added a shelf it sure does make it look more complete. I would got for a school of fish. I like how they swim in an orderly fashion however, that Piranha idea sounds good too.
> 
> ...


Regular pool filter sand. Plants will grow in it, but sometimes the plants that require more nutrients need plant tabs to really shine. 

I really like the shelf too, makes it look classy in a way :smile:

I'm leaving in on that stand. I don't care for all the ADA purist ADA stand only stuff....I only bought the tank because they're high quality, I couldn't care less about the whole ADA design concept thing...

And both filters are great. I just used a RENA because I have one on my other tank, and I've never had any problems and I always found them to be easy to install, maintain, and use...



oldbonehead said:


> Very nice. I like the tree root look. It looks like your manzies are leaning against the back. Any chance or way of making them stand on their own. Maybe some rocks to help?
> As for the plants, I think you need some moss and a few anubias tied to the branch or root stems(?) of your manzies. A few A. petite may help to vary the look and give the impression of different growth. Variety is a good.


The moss is a really good idea! Anubias not so much, I'm already planning on replacing the anubias thats in there already since theyre native to Africa, not the Amazon...I could have swore there was anubias in the Amazon! I guess not lol...


---------------------------------------------

So, I can't decide, should I make it black-water or not? I got two bottles because they were buy one get one half off....I like the way it looks now, but my Ph is at 7.6, and I know the apistos and amazon fish like the low ph....this stuff will definitely get me there, as well as the natural look...yay or nay?


DSC_0838 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr

I still can't decide if I want pencilfish or cardinals. On the one hand, pencilfish are easy to take amazing pictures of and I love watching their group behavior, but a school of cardinals is just awesome. Downside being they're near impossible to take flash pictures of...

In other news, I did a water test and everything appears to be okay. I really want to add some fish now, probably ottos since I want the clean up crew in first, but the water is still a bit cloudy, so my every instinct is saying no, battle of emotions versus brain I guess lol....I should probably wait....That being said, the water is a lot clearer than it was yesterday...


DSC_0845 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0846 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


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## gnod (Mar 24, 2011)

wow... so nice 
i really want hanging lights like that one day... "one day" . . .


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

Forget the blackwater additives...why don't you get some IALs and put some leaves on the bottom of your river....that'll release plenty of tannins....and look like natural leaves on the bottom...


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

gnod said:


> wow... so nice
> i really want hanging lights like that one day... "one day" . . .


Thanks! Means a lot...I agree about the hanging lights. I always wanted them, and now I have 'em! :icon_wink



shrimpnmoss said:


> Forget the blackwater additives...why don't you get some IALs and put some leaves on the bottom of your river....that'll release plenty of tannins....and look like natural leaves on the bottom...


I was going to, but the shipping from Malaysia/Taiwan/Whereever is really throwing me off. I'm impatient, and blackwater in a bottle sounds great to me lol...

On a side note, I've come to the realization the water isn't cloudy per se, its just the tannins from the driftwood. I realized after I looked through the side of the tank to the other side and it was a brownish cloudy...

Maybe it _is_ safe to add fish...


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

Naw man. Hit up Mordalpus, he has some nice large IALs. 2-3 leaves will turn your water nice and tan color without all the chemicals...

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/s...specials/132267-indian-almond-leaves-usa.html

or Jimko

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/swap-n-shop/143817-fissiden-fontanus-c-nurii-downoi-round.html




hahah...and throw a scout recon in there....


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

shrimpnmoss said:


> Naw man. Hit up Mordalpus, he has some nice large IALs. 2-3 leaves will turn your water nice and tan color without all the chemicals...
> 
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/s...specials/132267-indian-almond-leaves-usa.html
> 
> ...


Nice, even better...I guess I have no excuse now lol...

And I would throw a recon fish in from the 40B, but I'd feel so bad if it died after living for a long time in the nice 40B lol.....


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Few more with the X100, all at ISO 3200, no noise reduction applied...


DSCF0681 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSCF0675 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSCF0693 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSCF0703 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

that noise reduction make a difference...like adding purigen to your canister..


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

shrimpnmoss said:


> that noise reduction make a difference...like adding purigen to your canister..


Ahah but _there was no noise reduction applied_....and now you see why I love my X100 lol...


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

ohh....nm...should learn to read every word...lol


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

shrimpnmoss said:


> ohh....nm...should learn to read every word...lol


LMAO happens to us all!


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## gnod (Mar 24, 2011)

damn, just saw your flickr page... and your shots look DOPE!
where do u take those shots in jersey!? haha..
also, where'd you get the sand substrate from..?


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## Uptown193 (Apr 25, 2011)

Off topic but, here are pics of my xmas present to myself this year, no joke. Lol


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

some ppl say nics pics of cars are great. i say nothing beats a quality photo of a nice DSLR!


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

gnod said:


> damn, just saw your flickr page... and your shots look DOPE!
> where do u take those shots in jersey!? haha..
> also, where'd you get the sand substrate from..?


Haha thanks! A lot of my landscape and wildlife shots come from Sandy Hook, but I switch it up a lot too....

The sand came from a local pool supply store, they had it on a pallet with about 20 other bags lol....



Uptown193 said:


> Off topic but, here are pics of my xmas present to myself this year, no joke. Lol


Nice! I like the D7000, but I honestly just bought it to hold me over until the professional models come out, which should be announced within the next week or two. I was going to get a D300s, but the D7000 was announced and it beat the D300s in a lot of ways, so I figured I would use it until the new pro models came out, plus I wanted to mess with the 1080p video! I just really need the pro model, I do a lot of outdoor landscape and wildlife photography in all kinds of weather so I need all the help I can get...

The D7000 is definitely a great camera though, really more camera than 90% of the population _needs_ lol...



orchidman said:


> some ppl say nics pics of cars are great. i say nothing beats a quality photo of a nice DSLR!


Yep!


Oh yeah, the water is now completely uncloudy,...just the natural tannins....and my two new Hydor Inline Heaters (one for this tank, one for the 40B) will be here Friday....time to add fish :thumbsup:


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

cant wait to see fish!


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## Uptown193 (Apr 25, 2011)

TickleMyElmo said:


> The D7000 is definitely a great camera though, really more camera than 90% of the population _needs_ lol...


Are you a photographer?


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## shrimpNewbie (May 6, 2011)

Beautiful tank... pc1 has some very nice pieces, i believe those were the pieces I was inquiring about a while back and he said they were taken =\ glad they were used in such a great way though.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Uptown193 said:


> Are you a photographer?


Why yes, yes I am lol...



shrimpNewbie said:


> Beautiful tank... pc1 has some very nice pieces, i believe those were the pieces I was inquiring about a while back and he said they were taken =\ glad they were used in such a great way though.


Yeah it sucks when the pieces you want aren't available :/ Thanks though, I'll make sure it was worth it by keeping the tank looking good lol...


In other news, just my luck that I set up a tank days before a Hurricane :icon_conf And I live about 5 houses down from the beach! There's most likely going to be mandatory evacuations....but ironically I'll be the one doing the evacuations and going door to door lol.....I'm hoping PetSmart will have one of those battery powered emergency air pumps for power outages but if not, there's not much I can do for the fish, plus I'll have my blue tongued skink to worry about, since without power he has no heat lamp :icon_neut Hopefully he'll be okay, I've seen him just hang around and conserve body heat before when he didn't have a heat lamp available...

There's not much I can do, I can't bring my pets with me or look after them because I'll be out rescuing other people and dealing with the damage for at least 10+ hours, and even then I most likely won't be able to get back to my house because it floods bad and turns the area into an island :thumbsdow

So yeah, if you don't hear from me in a day or two....


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## gnod (Mar 24, 2011)

hey man, best of luck to you and be safe. i was out deep in long island and just came back closer in today. be safe and hope you, and your pets make it ok!


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## kuni (May 7, 2010)

Pretty tank. I doubt it'll look this nice in a month, though.

Those LEDs aren't intense enough to grow rooted plants in a blackwater tank. You're going to have to choose whether you like blackwater or rooted plants, not both. Floating plants should work.

It's not a biotope if you have South American fish and Anubias. Anubias in geographically inappropriate tanks is probably the most common biotope mistake folks make. Even those sword plants aren't actually found in blackwater systems - they're in seasonally flooded creeks and boggy areas, so they only spend part of the year below water.

With your rock background, it would be easy to make a nice stream tank. Some cories, loricariids, river rocks, driftwood turned sideways, maybe a uruguay sword or two....


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

kuni said:


> Pretty tank. I doubt it'll look this nice in a month, though.
> 
> Those LEDs aren't intense enough to grow rooted plants in a blackwater tank. You're going to have to choose whether you like blackwater or rooted plants, not both. Floating plants should work.
> 
> ...


Those LED's will grow his plants just fine... I've personally used that fixture on a tank, and successfully grown Red myrio, rotalas, crypts, hygros, etc. The fixture is just fine.

Secondly, I'm pretty sure he is aware that Anubias isn't geographically correct, but really doesn't matter. It's his tank, and I'm sure he's happy with it. I think it looks fantastic.

Keep up the great work, Elmo, and be safe! Good luck!


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

zachary908 said:


> Those LED's will grow his plants just fine... I've personally used that fixture on a tank, and successfully grown Red myrio, rotalas, crypts, hygros, etc. The fixture is just fine.
> 
> Secondly, I'm pretty sure he is aware that Anubias isn't geographically correct, but really doesn't matter. It's his tank, and I'm sure he's happy with it. I think it looks fantastic.
> 
> Keep up the great work, Elmo, and be safe! Good luck!


+98838384

He stated that he just realized anubias wasn't from the amazon  way to stick up for a brotha Zachary

Keep safe man!


You can call me Bob


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## kuni (May 7, 2010)

The problem isn't the fixture itself, it's that the tannins in blackwater absorb light before it gets to the plants. In other words, with a low/medium light fixture you can do non-floating plants OR blackwater, not both.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

kuni said:


> Pretty tank. I doubt it'll look this nice in a month, though.
> 
> Those LEDs aren't intense enough to grow rooted plants in a blackwater tank. You're going to have to choose whether you like blackwater or rooted plants, not both. Floating plants should work.
> 
> ...


I don't really care. No plants no cry.....who cares! LOL, that being said, I realized very shortly after anubias are from Africa. I'll be getting them replaced soon. I'd have done it already, but I've been dealing with time constraints and A GIANT [censored][censored][censored][censored]ING HURRICANE.....lol....



zachary908 said:


> Those LED's will grow his plants just fine... I've personally used that fixture on a tank, and successfully grown Red myrio, rotalas, crypts, hygros, etc. The fixture is just fine.
> 
> Secondly, I'm pretty sure he is aware that Anubias isn't geographically correct, but really doesn't matter. It's his tank, and I'm sure he's happy with it. I think it looks fantastic.
> 
> Keep up the great work, Elmo, and be safe! Good luck!


Haha exactly! And thanks man! :icon_wink



orchidman said:


> +98838384
> 
> He stated that he just realized anubias wasn't from the amazon  way to stick up for a brotha Zachary
> 
> ...


LOL you guys got my back! Way to go lol.....



kuni said:


> The problem isn't the fixture itself, it's that the tannins in blackwater absorb light before it gets to the plants. In other words, with a low/medium light fixture you can do non-floating plants OR blackwater, not both.


I'll keep that in mind. I'm not too concerned about the plants. I didn't even initially plan on having them in the tank. If you really want to get technical with the whole super-duper strict biotope thing, a large part of the amazon contains no to very very few plants at all, so HAH! lol....

----------------------------------------

A quick pic update! I would have had fish in here, but unfortunately my LFS seems to be closed. I tried PetSmart for the ottos (I used to work there so I know the quality is A+, plus all my ottos have come from there and they did great) but they were out of them, and they only had 3 cardinals, so I passed. 

I would have went to my regular LFS, but being the day and second day after the hurricane came through, I called to make sure they were open (40 minute drive) and it kept ringing and ringing the 5 times I called, so I assumed they were either closed, without power, or both. So, I'll go and get the fish whenever I can confirm they're open.

I've decided on 5 to 6 ottos, 15 cardinal tetras, and either 2 Apistos or 2 GBR.....

Anyways, the water is now perfectly clear, and the tannins are in full effect! I love the way the tank looks with so much tannin!


1152-2 ~ Amazon Biotope



1155 ~ Amazon Biotope



I also received my two Hydor Inline heaters, one for this tank and one for my 40B...they've both been installed and they're working great!


DSC_1145-2 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


I also made a new sig!......I think it looks pretty schweeeet! lol v


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Beautiful looking tank, well done on the sig.


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

Amazing tank, and fantastic sig! I also like your stocking list, that should fit this tank well. Can't wait for more pictures.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

2in10 said:


> Beautiful looking tank, well done on the sig.





zachary908 said:


> Amazing tank, and fantastic sig! I also like your stocking list, that should fit this tank well. Can't wait for more pictures.



Thanks guys! Still haven't got the fish....been busy all week, might be able to make the trip tomorrow morning to get the cardinals at least...


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

I love the tank man! Your stocking list will he awesome!


You can call me Bob


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

I just read all 9 pages, awesome tank. Can't wait to see it stocked.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Thanks SlammedDC2 and orchidman!

Finding 15 Cardinal tetras and 6 otos was a lot harder than I thought it would be! I went to two stores and only found 5 cardinals and 3 ottos. Took them home and acclimated them and then went back out to another store. The last store finally had a tank full of cardinals, so I got 15 more. I now have a total of 20, figured I'd get a few more in case some die, and if they don't, then 20 is fine...still need 3 more ottos though...

What do you guys think of Bolvian Red Rams? I saw some at the LFS I usually go to and thought they were pretty cool. Nice colors without being too flashy and taking away from the Cardinals....I'll decide on the rams soon after I make sure the cardinals and ottos do okay...


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## fishboy199413 (Jan 20, 2010)

Bolivians are a great choice for your tank. They are very docile and when healthy there colors are very bright. They will do fine with your cardinals and ottos just make sure you have plenty of places to hide. And who know after they have been in your tank for while they may breed that is if you have a pair. Good luck.


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## 10galfornow (May 13, 2011)

you took my advice of cardinals!  those are gonna look so shweet i can't wait to see updated picturas!


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

fishboy199413 said:


> Bolivians are a great choice for your tank. They are very docile and when healthy there colors are very bright. They will do fine with your cardinals and ottos just make sure you have plenty of places to hide. And who know after they have been in your tank for while they may breed that is if you have a pair. Good luck.


Yeah, they seem to be a pretty good choice so far. I may still end up going with GBR's, but I feel like their neon blue highlights would blend in too well with the cardinals. I like the BRR's because they're colorful without being overbearingly colorful, if that makes any sense lol....



10galfornow said:


> you took my advice of cardinals!  those are gonna look so shweet i can't wait to see updated picturas!


Haha of course! It was a really good idea lol.....they look really sweet in there, especially as they go back and forth between the dark back areas of the tank and the shimmering bright areas in front...

Picture's weren't good enough to show the cardinals,...I'm putting a video together right now


----------



## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Video is up! (Watch in 1080p HD!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnnvhiD-HPA


----------



## tharsis (Oct 9, 2009)

Really like the look of the LED's. The video really shows off the shimmer, that you just don't see in the pics. Really well done. 

Makes me want to get LED's for my tank.


----------



## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Beautiful video, tank looks great with the fish in there. Farlowella cats would look cool in there, but they are seasonal fish apparently.


----------



## Kosey929 (Mar 27, 2011)

This is looking great. You even managed to make the filter look good!


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## 10galfornow (May 13, 2011)

yea man get some rams in there to scare the tetras into schooling, looking shweeeet though!:thumbsup: and good editing too


----------



## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Well done biotope. The led effect is stunning.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


----------



## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

tharsis said:


> Really like the look of the LED's. The video really shows off the shimmer, that you just don't see in the pics. Really well done.
> 
> Makes me want to get LED's for my tank.


Yeah the LEDs are really cool. I'll more than likely end up getting them for my 40B too...



2in10 said:


> Beautiful video, tank looks great with the fish in there. Farlowella cats would look cool in there, but they are seasonal fish apparently.


Just looked them up, and they do look really cool! Probably hard to find locally though, so I'll stick to my otos lol...



Kosey929 said:


> This is looking great. You even managed to make the filter look good!


Haha thanks! I figured if the filter was going to be out I might as well light it with some LED's to make it look like a "behind the scenes feature" type thing 



10galfornow said:


> yea man get some rams in there to scare the tetras into schooling, looking shweeeet though!:thumbsup: and good editing too


Will be done as soon as I'm confident in the water quality lol....its funny though, the tetras are schooling now because they don't know where they are. At first they stayed in the school in one little corner, and now they're exploring as a school and going to the other side of the tank, the front, etc....its funny to watch lol......



malaybiswas said:


> Well done biotope. The led effect is stunning.
> 
> Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


Thanks!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Some more pics!


DSC_1213 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_1221 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr

I thought it was messed up that my DSLR takes all these nice pics for us, but never gets any recognition or time in the spotlight, so I hearby declare it DSLR appreciation day! :icon_bigg


DSCF0711 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSCF0721 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSCF0724 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


----------



## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

The open swim space also helps keep them in a school. If it was heavily planted they would only school in open areas.


----------



## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

2in10 said:


> Beautiful video, tank looks great with the fish in there. Farlowella cats would look cool in there, but they are seasonal fish apparently.


Farlowellas seasonal? Dang, I'm loving my store more and more every day!


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

2in10 said:


> The open swim space also helps keep them in a school. If it was heavily planted they would only school in open areas.


Good to know, makes sense lol...


----------



## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

Elmo, that video as 110% pure sexiness. The tank is looking fantastic!


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## 10galfornow (May 13, 2011)

how do you take good pictures of the camera that takes good pictures!?


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

zachary908 said:


> Elmo, that video as 110% pure sexiness. The tank is looking fantastic!


Haha thanks man, I tried to get creative with the angles and the blackwater gives it that dark mysterious look that just works awesome with video!



10galfornow said:


> how do you take good pictures of the camera that takes good pictures!?


With another good camera, duhhhh :hihi: :icon_wink


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

looks great! how did everything fare through irene?


----------



## 10galfornow (May 13, 2011)

TickleMyElmo said:


> With another good camera, duhhhh :hihi: :icon_wink


what the? i don't even...


----------



## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

orchidman said:


> looks great! how did everything fare through irene?


Perfectly fine actually. Never even lost power...

10galfornow: LMAO!...Does not compute, does not compute!


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

thats good!


----------



## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

orchidman said:


> thats good!


Yeah definitely...my house did better than I did, I got soaked, beaten up by wind, and did a straight 24 hour shift with no sleep :icon_eek:


----------



## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

It looks good and I like the way the light looks on the wall, nice camera too.


----------



## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

Nice fishes!!! I think you can have twice that many in there....and that is a serious looking camera....you can give people a twofer deal...wedding photography and security at the same time....lol


----------



## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

150EH said:


> It looks good and I like the way the light looks on the wall, nice camera too.


Thanks! It does look pretty cool on the wall like that lol...



shrimpnmoss said:


> Nice fishes!!! I think you can have twice that many in there....and that is a serious looking camera....you can give people a twofer deal...wedding photography and security at the same time....lol


Thanks! And yeah true, good point lol...


----------



## gnod (Mar 24, 2011)

TickleMyElmo said:


> I went out and bought two other brands of pool filter sand....I'm liking the one on the right more....the left is very fine and dull colored, while the right is more gravely and much more natural looking in texture and color
> 
> What do you think? I say right side, especially for an amazon biotope:
> 
> ...



so i just went to 3 different pool supply stores and all 3 only carried the one on the left... at 3 different prices. WACK! 

i can't find the one on the right!


----------



## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

gnod said:


> so i just went to 3 different pool supply stores and all 3 only carried the one on the left... at 3 different prices. WACK!
> 
> i can't find the one on the right!


How much do you need? If you want I can pick up a few bags (assuming they have any left) and ship as much as I can fit into a large flat rate box to you.....just pay for shipping and the cost of the sand :icon_bigg


----------



## gnod (Mar 24, 2011)

haha umh i only need about 10 pounds? for my 5.5G.. maybe 15lbs.


----------



## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

gnod said:


> haha umh i only need about 10 pounds? for my 5.5G.. maybe 15lbs.


Looks like the store is all out  probably because pool season is rapidly coming to an end here lol...if I see any more I'll let you know....

---------------------------------------

Bad news! Nearly all the fish have died, and the rest are on their way or will be shortly...

Apparently the tank never cycled, but thats not the only problem. I tested the water (liquid test kit)and ammonia tested as .25, nitrites were 0, and nitrates were at 20. Also, the Ph changed from 7.4 to 6.0.....this leads me to believe I basically unknowingly cycled my tank with the cardinals. 

Contributing to the deaths, I didn't notice the deaths until a day or two after almost half the deaths had occured. 2 days ago I noticed a fish had fin rot of the back tail(too far gone to fix), and the next day when I went to look for the possibly dead fish, I found about 7 stuck to the filter. I came home today and found another 4 or 5 stuck to the filter. 

Another possible contributing factor is that they're cardinals, which are often wild caught, and that they were bought from a fish store I have never purchased from before. While not the sole reason, since I found a few dead ottos too, it was likely a contributing factor. 

I'm not expecting any of the cardinals or ottos to survive. I'd transfer the remaining fish to my 40B, but I can't risk the stressed fish causing stress to the occupants of the 40B, and if they die they will cause an ammonia spike in the 40B, leading to a double problem.


----------



## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

Sorry about the fish loss, Elmo. Hopefully you will get everything straitened out. Good luck!


----------



## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

dang that sux....seachem stability works wonders for cycling....


----------



## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

zachary908 said:


> Sorry about the fish loss, Elmo. Hopefully you will get everything straitened out. Good luck!





shrimpnmoss said:


> dang that sux....seachem stability works wonders for cycling....


Thanks guys....does suck, especially because I very rarely lose any fish to anything other than jumpers and old age. I worked at a LFS for two years, which makes it harder to accept since I know what I'm doing, and I probably should have known better. 

Oh well...I might check out that stability stuff but I'm weary of using any chemicals when it comes to fish tanks...I much prefer the natural time proven methods, especially after seeing the disasters people would try to fix with chemicals only to end up with even greater disasters from the chemicals and their inexperience. Does sound like it works though....unfortunately I won't have any free time until Friday so it'll probably be too late by then...

At least I didn't get the Rams yet, I'd feel extra bad if I killed a beautiful pair of rams...


----------



## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

i like ol natural too...with some old sponge juice...but man...my general rule is no expensive fish or expensive livestock until i see diatoms....usually...but i cheat also...hahah..


----------



## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

shrimpnmoss said:


> i like ol natural too...with some old sponge juice...but man...my general rule is no expensive fish or expensive livestock until i see diatoms....usually...but i cheat also...hahah..


Hah, that threw me off too, there were and still are diatoms in the tank...


----------



## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Sorry for the losses


----------



## Storm (Aug 7, 2011)

Sorry for the losses. The tannins and black water are the most likely cause of low PH. I don't think the low PH is a problem though, because cardinals especially like an acidic environment. Cardinals are one of the most sensitive fish to cycling though, and the ammonia/nitrates are probably what did it.

Maybe just start with about 5 Amano shrimp and slowly stock the fish over about 6 weeks, which should give your filter time to build the bacteria colonies it needs.

Btw, great looking tank!


----------



## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

aw man that sucks.

Once things bounce back, you should consider green neon tetras. They're a little rarer but very cool fish. The blue neon stripe goes all the way from head to tail like on a cardinal, but they have no red on them. Plus, they're the smallest fish compared to neons and cardinals so you could fit a larger school of them into the 60p. I have 10 in my mini-m and they have plenty of swimming space.


----------



## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

2in10 said:


> Sorry for the losses


Thanks, stuff happens lol...



Storm said:


> Sorry for the losses. The tannins and black water are the most likely cause of low PH. I don't think the low PH is a problem though, because cardinals especially like an acidic environment. Cardinals are one of the most sensitive fish to cycling though, and the ammonia/nitrates are probably what did it.
> 
> Maybe just start with about 5 Amano shrimp and slowly stock the fish over about 6 weeks, which should give your filter time to build the bacteria colonies it needs.
> 
> Btw, great looking tank!


Yeah I know tannins and blackwater make the Ph low naturally, but apparently my water is liquid rock because the Ph was at 7.6 for quite a while with the tannins and blackwater, until it dropped to 6.0 almost overnight....probably related to the ammonia...



IWANNAGOFAST said:


> aw man that sucks.
> 
> Once things bounce back, you should consider green neon tetras. They're a little rarer but very cool fish. The blue neon stripe goes all the way from head to tail like on a cardinal, but they have no red on them. Plus, they're the smallest fish compared to neons and cardinals so you could fit a larger school of them into the 60p. I have 10 in my mini-m and they have plenty of swimming space.


Hmm, sounds and looks pretty cool. I really liked the cardinals though, plus they're easier to find locally. I'm not trying to make this a job finding fish and scouring the internets and then dealing with overnight shipping, etc lol...


----------



## 10galfornow (May 13, 2011)

damn man i'm sorry they looked so great. i guess it will just have to look great again in a month?:icon_smil


----------



## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Sooooo........Thoughts?


1330 ~ Amazon River Bank Biotope Riparium by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr



1310 ~ Amazon River Bank Biotope Riparium 



1312 ~ Amazon River Bank Biotope Riparium 



1314 ~ Amazon River Bank Biotope Riparium 



1326 ~ Amazon River Bank Biotope Riparium


----------



## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

Looks pretty sweet!


----------



## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

That looks really good, great photography.


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

love it! what plants did you add?


----------



## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Thanks guys!



orchidman said:


> love it! what plants did you add?


Got some kyoto, white ribbon, and some golden something plant. I know they're more than likely not from the Amazon, and I really don't care lol....all I know is that they're semi-aquatic. I just wanted to see how this riparium thing will work out and set something up quickly 

My new stock list will probably be just cardinals and some ottos. I don't know how many cardinals I'll get, probably no more than 10. Only 1 cardinal and maybe 1 otto has survived the massive fish loss, but without that happening I would have never made it into a riparium since I would need the water capacity...


----------



## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

That looks very good. Really natural (if a glass box filled with plants can be called "natural:" can anything really compare to it?). You attached the plants to the driftwood, correct? All in all, it looks amazing!


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

RipariumGuy said:


> That looks very good. Really natural (if a glass box filled with plants can be called "natural:" can anything really compare to it?). You attached the plants to the driftwood, correct? All in all, it looks amazing!


Thanks! That means a lot coming from you! And yeah, the plants are just attached to the driftwood....figured I didn't need planters when I have so much driftwood to attach it to....although who knows maybe I'll get some rafts (cant attach the planters to the 3D background) and put some taller plants in the back....could look really sweet! Thanks again though!

I wanted the water level a little lower, but thats as low as it can go since the spray-bar cant go down any further.

Speaking of spray bar.....I'll have to make another video soon....Because I have the spraybar on the left side and because I have it pointed up to agitate the surface a lot to get the light shimmer, it creates a really awesome flowing river type effect, as if the river was flowing from the left side of the tank to the right....it looks really awesome!


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## karatekid14 (Jan 16, 2011)

OMG! That is so cool!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That looks very nice. That golden-variegated plant is I think some kind of _Draceana_. I'll be interested to hear how that one does rooted in the water like that.

If you want any more variety you could probably also add some pothos vine or _Syngonium_. Both of those will root well in the water and you could probably just tie their stems to the driftwood so that the bases are in the water.


----------



## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

That looks sweet. It'll look even better when the top foliage grows out.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

karatekid14 said:


> OMG! That is so cool!


Thanks!



hydrophyte said:


> That looks very nice. That golden-variegated plant is I think some kind of _Draceana_. I'll be interested to hear how that one does rooted in the water like that.
> 
> If you want any more variety you could probably also add some pothos vine or _Syngonium_. Both of those will root well in the water and you could probably just tie their stems to the driftwood so that the bases are in the water.


Thanks, means a lot coming from you too! Both sound like really good suggestions, especially the pothos vine....There's a little bit of space behind the 3D Background, maybe I could add one end of the vine in the back and have it drape over the background and into the water/onto the driftwood. I figure if I do that in multiple spots it might look really cool like vines on a riverbank....whats the chances of finding something like that or Syngonium at a Home Depot? :icon_lol:


----------



## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

shrimpnmoss said:


> That looks sweet. It'll look even better when the top foliage grows out.


Yeah I think it'll look sweet when it gets grown out and when I get more plants :thumbsup:


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

TickleMyElmo said:


> Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks, means a lot coming from you too! Both sound like really good suggestions, especially the pothos vine....There's a little bit of space behind the 3D Background, maybe I could add one end of the vine in the back and have it drape over the background and into the water/onto the driftwood. I figure if I do that in multiple spots it might look really cool like vines on a riverbank....whats the chances of finding something like that or Syngonium at a Home Depot? :icon_lol:


Pothos and _Syngonium_ should be easy to find at Home Depot or wherever. _Syngonium_ comes in a lot of crazy colors. Pink or purple would look good with that gold _Draceana_.


----------



## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> Pothos and _Syngonium_ should be easy to find at Home Depot or wherever. _Syngonium_ comes in a lot of crazy colors. Pink or purple would look good with that gold _Draceana_.


Awesome! Well that makes it easy, although they may not have anything at all since it's getting colder here....and yeah, I have no idea how well the draceana or white ribbon or kyoto will do but what the heck, I figure it's all research and if it doesn't work it doesn't work, at least it will help others lol...


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Both the pothos and the _Syngonium _shoud grow well with their roots right in the water too.


----------



## kuni (May 7, 2010)

+1 to the pothos suggestion. It's not from the Amazon, but it produces a great effect.

It IS native to PNG, so if you removed the anubias and used dwarf neon rainbows, you'd have a biotope. You could also add needle leaf java fern and (possibly) nerites.


----------



## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

With the _Syngonium_, don't be bummed if it doesn't grow roots for you. On some occasions they just won't grow roots (and therefor eventually die), even though their foliage looks fine. There are some pretty cool varieties of _Syngonium _out there as well. Pink all to the way to dark'ish green.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> Both the pothos and the _Syngonium _shoud grow well with their roots right in the water too.


Awesome, sounds easy enough lol...



kuni said:


> +1 to the pothos suggestion. It's not from the Amazon, but it produces a great effect.
> 
> It IS native to PNG, so if you removed the anubias and used dwarf neon rainbows, you'd have a biotope. You could also add needle leaf java fern and (possibly) nerites.


Hmm, good point. I think I'll stop by Home Depot on my way home tomorrow and see what they have, if anything...



RipariumGuy said:


> With the _Syngonium_, don't be bummed if it doesn't grow roots for you. On some occasions they just won't grow roots (and therefor eventually die), even though their foliage looks fine. There are some pretty cool varieties of _Syngonium _out there as well. Pink all to the way to dark'ish green.


Duly noted....I do like the variety of colors, not sure which color to get though if I have a choice lol...


----------



## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

A short preview video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAIlNYoQj3w


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

So....went to home depot, all they had was Pothos, but thats all I really needed....

There was also this random cat in the garden section, I watched him stroll right in through the sliding doors from outside....he was awesome! Very friendly! I figured I'd take some pics with my iPhone lol...


Untitled by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


Untitled by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr

Anyways, here's how it sits now....Yes/No/Maybe? Too much? I love how the green color reflects off the plants and onto the wall haha...its like having free accent lighting!


DSC_1356 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_1349 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_1358 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_1361 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_1366 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

Real purty! Looks alot better with the extra plantage. 

I may be wrong, but in that first picture of the cat, the plant to the left of the Pathos I believe is a _Syngonium_. I think...


----------



## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

RipariumGuy said:


> Real purty! Looks alot better with the extra plantage.
> 
> I may be wrong, but in that first picture of the cat, the plant to the left of the Pathos I believe is a _Syngonium_. I think...


Thats what I thought too when I saw it, but when I checked the tags on it, it was some other species of plant :icon_conf Who knows though, could have been, they might have just mislabeled it...


----------



## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

lots great with more plants. and that kitty was cUUUUUUUTTEEE!!! LOL who knew home depot employed cats to entice people to shop in the garden section.. a very good marketing ploy in my opinion!

Amy


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That looks real nice with the additional plants in there.

That plant right above and to the left of the cat is indeed _Syngonium_. If you look around for other plants with the same leaf shape you'll probably see other colors.


----------



## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

SkyGrl said:


> lots great with more plants. and that kitty was cUUUUUUUTTEEE!!! LOL who knew home depot employed cats to entice people to shop in the garden section.. a very good marketing ploy in my opinion!
> 
> Amy


Thanks! Haha and yeah, the cat was the highlight of the trip! I wanted to pet him all day, he was really funny too, plus he had a hilarious face lol...he obviously came from a nearby house, because his fur was immaculate and really soft, and he looked really well taken care of, otherwise I probably would have taken him home if he looked to be a stray :icon_bigg



hydrophyte said:


> That looks real nice with the additional plants in there.
> 
> That plant right above and to the left of the cat is indeed _Syngonium_. If you look around for other plants with the same leaf shape you'll probably see other colors.


Damn! Oh well, they only had it in that one huge size, and it would have been way overkill....I still have a huge leftover pothos lol...

Thanks though! It does look quite a bit more "punchy" with the extra plants...


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

can you pot a picture cropped close so its just the tank? im having a hard time seeing the plants closely. thanks. looks good from afar! roud:


----------



## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

orchidman said:


> can you pot a picture cropped close so its just the tank? im having a hard time seeing the plants closely. thanks. looks good from afar! roud:


Ask and I shall provide! :icon_wink


DSC_1395 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_1398 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_1378 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_1390 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_1380 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr

Left Side:

DSC_1384 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr

Right Side:

DSC_1385 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That looks really great. Nice photography. The pothos sort of looks like it was just put in there, but in a few days it will look more natural as the leaves turn up again.


----------



## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> That looks really great. Nice photography. The pothos sort of looks like it was just put in there, but in a few days it will look more natural as the leaves turn up again.


Thanks! And that's because it was! lol....the driftwood makes it a pain to purposefully place anything, so I kind of threw it in there and tried to fix it a little bit after.....like you said, I figured it would fix itself in a few days when it gets settled haha...


----------



## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Looks great with the new plants


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

looks great! i like the plant with the skinny leaves!


----------



## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> That looks really great. Nice photography. The pothos sort of looks like it was just put in there, but in a few days it will look more natural as the leaves turn up again.


Well you were definitely right....I looked at the tank this morning and the leaves were pointed upwards and curled towards the light, looks very very natural!



2in10 said:


> Looks great with the new plants


Thanks! Hopefully they grow well lol...



orchidman said:


> looks great! i like the plant with the skinny leaves!


Thanks! If you're talking about the goldish and green colored one, thats the gold ribbon plant (Dracaena Variegatus)....if you're talking about the one that looks like grass, thats kyoto (mondo grass)...:icon_smil


----------



## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Oh yeah, what does everyone think for a stocklist? Should I ditch the whole biotope thing since it's already wrecked? (I dont think any of the above water plants in the tank are from the amazon, or the anubias underwater)

I was thinking maybe 10 cardinal tetras and two dwarf gouramis? Figured gouramis might look cool with all the dense plant coverage and them being semi-air breathers and all...or maybe I'll do only cardinal tetras and ottos!

Any ideas at all post them up, I'm open to suggestions lol...


----------



## kuni (May 7, 2010)

Do what you like! Biotopes are nice, but the important thing is having a tank you like looking at.


----------



## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

You need some of those cool riparium orchids I see once in a while on SnS...and a baby crocodile. Peaceful and tranquil looking from the top....sinister and dangerous below. lol.


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

ORCHIDS! that would be sick! 

i say ditch the biotope, since you already have differing regions. i would say do rummy nose tetras. how big is the tank? like 15g? dwarf gouramis would be cool. so would a pair of GBR!


----------



## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

kuni said:


> Do what you like! Biotopes are nice, but the important thing is having a tank you like looking at.


Very true! Good point...



shrimpnmoss said:


> You need some of those cool riparium orchids I see once in a while on SnS...and a baby crocodile. Peaceful and tranquil looking from the top....sinister and dangerous below. lol.


Haha, it does look like the type of area you'd find a crocodile in!



orchidman said:


> ORCHIDS! that would be sick!
> 
> i say ditch the biotope, since you already have differing regions. i would say do rummy nose tetras. how big is the tank? like 15g? dwarf gouramis would be cool. so would a pair of GBR!


No orchids, I only have LEDs over here not some super powerful lighting! lol...

The whole tank is 17 gallons, but I effectivelly cut that in half, maybe like 9 gallons of water in there. I like rummy noses too but theyre too twitchy, fast, and impossible to get nice pictures of lol...tank is now too small for GBRs or rams in general


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

This is def something different. I like it A LOT. Great photos as well bro. Keep em coming.


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## PC1 (May 21, 2010)

Boy o boy thats a sexy tank! I personally love Pothos!


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

speedie408 said:


> This is def something different. I like it A LOT. Great photos as well bro. Keep em coming.





PC1 said:


> Boy o boy thats a sexy tank! I personally love Pothos!


Thanks guys! Means a lot!

Oh yeah, I added 5 cardinal tetras today, going slow this time lol...anyways, with the moon lights on, the cardinals stripes glow under the blue light, almost florescent like,....it looks really cool!


DSC_1424 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr

You can see how the Pothos has literally bent over backwards to arch towards the light (during the day time)....makes it look much more natural!


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

Actually there are alot of orchids that don't need super high light or even high light. I'm sure you could put one in but thats up to you. 




You can call me Bob


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

You could definitely put an orchid or two in there and you could probably find something cheap at Home Depot. You would just want to select one small enough to fit because many commercial orchids get pretty big. 

You owuld have to plant an orchid in the right way. There are some orchids that grow with their roots in the water, but most of the commercial decorative orchids are actually epiphytes; they live up in the tops of trees. If you put the roots of a plant like that down in the water they will just drown and die and then the whole plant will rot.

One way to plant an orchid would be to mount on some of that manzanita sticking up above the water. A second option would be "semi-hydroponic culture". You can try a Google search for that. A riparium planter might work for semi-hydroponic orchid culture, but a better option would probably be to use a hydroponics net pot filled with hydroton. 

That LED is plenty of light for most common kinds of orchids.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

hydrophyte said:


> You could definitely put an orchid or two in there and you could probably find something cheap at Home Depot. You would just want to select one small enough to fit because many commercial orchids get pretty big.
> 
> You owuld have to plant an orchid in the right way. There are some orchids that grow with their roots in the water, but most of the commercial decorative orchids are actually epiphytes; they live up in the tops of trees. If you put the roots of a plant like that down in the water they will just drown and die and then the whole plant will rot.
> 
> ...


good advice!

if you plant say a phalaenopsis (i would get a mini though) and mount it on the manzy that is out of the water, with the roots _not_ touching the water initially. if the root tips grow down into the water after a while, it will be fine. orchid roots grow tailored to the environment that they grow in. so if a root was growing on the wood and eventually grew into the water, it would be fine because as it grew into the water, the part that was growing would grow to be suited to the environment.

i wouldnt try a cattleya. some can get large and will probably need higher light than you have, although im not sure exactly how much you have. 

you could do a phal. but most get large as well. a true mini would work though. 

there are also all kinds your could order that would stay small...

let me know if you have any questions


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Yep I have been seeing more little dwarf_ Phalenopsis_ around and those would be good choices. There is also an intergeneric hybrid called _Doritopsis_ that are small plants.

You know there is also a group of orchids that are terrestrials that grow right along streams _and _they are from South America, _Phragmepedium_. Phrags are a bit more demanding so I would not expect to see them at Home Depot. Any more upscale garden center might have them though. I tried to grow a phrag in a riparium planter once but it died on me.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

its actually _Doritaenopsis_ and now _Doritis_ has been reclassified as _Phalaenopsis_ so it would technically be _Phalaenopsis_. but nobody cares about that do they? haha sorry!

some Phrags can get large. and if they arent big plants often their spikes can get large. so just keep that in mind when purchasing. look for a smaller hybrid


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

I'll definitely have to look into some orchids :icon_smil

In other news, the tank looks awesome now! The above water plants have all settled in very nicely and they look amazing now that they're standing up and all the leaves are extended upwards and facing the light....You can tell that some of them even grew quite a bit already! In fact, the pothos on the left side has stood up and grown so much that it is now touching the light! Just looks really really natural with the leaves up, curled, and absorbing the light!

I'd take some pics, but I sold my camera....I've been camera-less for about 12 hours now, and I'm already experiencing withdrawals :hihi: Never fear though! An open box Nikon D700 with *15* actuations that I got a killer deal on is currently being overnighted to me via UPS! :biggrin: And then shortly after it arrives the Nikon 24mm 1.4G, 50mm 1.4G, and 85mm 1.4G will be ordered:bounce:


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

nice new kit your getting! i want one!


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

orchidman said:


> nice new kit your getting! i want one!


Thanks! I'm like a kid at Christmas over here :biggrin:


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

TickleMyElmo said:


> In other news, the tank looks awesome now! The above water plants have all settled in very nicely and they look amazing now that they're standing up and all the leaves are extended upwards and facing the light....You can tell that some of them even grew quite a bit already! In fact, the pothos on the left side has stood up and grown so much that it is now touching the light! Just looks really really natural with the leaves up, curled, and absorbing the light!


worthless without pics...you camera flipper....haha:thumbsup:


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## 10gallonsoffury (Mar 7, 2010)

Looks amazing, just right plant wise. 

A suggestion, add some reflective skirting around the light fixture as to not spill all the light and the tank will really stand out plas maybve get more light to the lower section.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Haha shrimpnmoss, you got me just as I was posting....

In lieu of the new D700, you'll have to make due with these crappy cell phone pics :icon_lol:


cellpic1 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


cellpic2 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


cellpic3 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


cellpic4 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

Why the heck are your cell phone pictures better then my best camera pictures!?!?


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

RipariumGuy said:


> Why the heck are your cell phone pictures better then my best camera pictures!?!?


It's not the camera that matters, it's how you use it :icon_wink


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

TickleMyElmo said:


> It's not the camera that matters, it's how you use it :icon_wink


Hmmm..... When will your online lessons come out?


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

RipariumGuy said:


> Hmmm..... When will your online lessons come out?


Haha, that would be sweet!


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Haha thanks guy, maybe I should do some Aquarium Photography lessons :icon_lol: Anyways, more cell phone pics are coming in about 5 minutes....I was feeling particularly inspired/desperate to get my photography fix for the day :hihi:


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

More cell phone pics...:smile:


IMG_0403 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


IMG_0396 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


IMG_0413 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


IMG_0399 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


IMG_0411 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


IMG_0409 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


IMG_0412 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


IMG_0395 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


IMG_0393 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


IMG_0394 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

lets see a fts. thats one nice cell phone camera


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

orchidman said:


> lets see a fts. thats one nice cell phone camera


Hehe thanks :smile:

<------ Guessss whatssss hereeeeee (hint: avatar)

I still don't have any lenses for it yet, but my 24mm 1.4G should be shipping on Monday :red_mouth

I did manage to take some pics with my old 17-55 lens that I have, so until I get the _real _lenses, these will have to do :hihi:


DSC_0031-2 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0034-3 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0039-2 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

Those cell phone shots are legit! Wanna come take pics of my tank with your cell phone? :hihi:


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Tank looks great, awesome shots with the cell phone.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

zachary908 said:


> Those cell phone shots are legit! Wanna come take pics of my tank with your cell phone? :hihi:


Hehe if you were local I'd take cell phone pics AND regular pics for ya' :biggrin:

EDIT: Thanks 2in10!


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

TickleMyElmo said:


> Hehe if you were local I'd take cell phone pics AND regular pics for ya' :biggrin:


I'll pack my stuff. :hihi:


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

zachary908 said:


> I'll pack my stuff. :hihi:


I literally LOL'd lol...


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

Those are some crazy nice cell phone pics. My tanks pics are soooo boring in comparison. I need to try and frame things better.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

shrimpnmoss said:


> Those are some crazy nice cell phone pics. My tanks pics are soooo boring in comparison. I need to try and frame things better.


Thanks! :smile: ...and I don't find any pics of any tank boring :icon_smil


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## Uptown193 (Apr 25, 2011)

Damn you and your photos...


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

How ya Like the new camera??

The tank looks good. Your only 5 hours away from me


You can call me Bob


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Uptown193 said:


> Damn you and your photos...


:hihi: Hehehe



orchidman said:


> How ya Like the new camera??
> 
> The tank looks good. Your only 5 hours away from me
> 
> ...


I love it so far, but I really haven't been able to fully use it yet....just cant wait for my 24mm to get here :drool:


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

Sounds great!


You can call me Bob


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Some new inhabitants as of today! All of these are no-flash pictures at 3200 ISO...still using a DX lens on my FX camera until my new lens comes in so not the best quality but better than nothing...


DSC_0070 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0073 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0103 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0096 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0088 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0104 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0077 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0052 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0094 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0066 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0074-2 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0091 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0063 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0095 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr



And finally, this is what happens when you mount a 17mm DX lens on a FX camera :hihi:

DSC_0120-3 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Great shots even without the correct lens for the camera model.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

looks great! the fish really make the scape come alive!

how many of what is in there?


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

2in10 said:


> Great shots even without the correct lens for the camera model.


Thanks! 



orchidman said:


> looks great! the fish really make the scape come alive!
> 
> how many of what is in there?


Thanks, there should be 6-7 ottos in there, 6 cardinal tetras, and 2 fire dwarf gouramis.

I just need 4-5 more cardinal tetras and I'll be done. I'm not so sure the two gouramis will tolerate each other, but I'm hoping they learn to get along and share their slice of paradise lol...


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

nice! i love the gouramis!


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

The Dwarf Gouramis will most likely be fine as long as there is enough cover to mark out territories or hide.


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## boon (Mar 29, 2006)

wow! looks really nice in there. One critique is your FTS need to be a bit closer. It's kind of hard to see the whole scape. thanks


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

boon said:


> wow! looks really nice in there. One critique is your FTS need to be a bit closer. It's kind of hard to see the whole scape. thanks


Nevarrrrr! I are an Arteeeeest, I can not have such a boring angleeeeeee! /French

But yeah, okay, maybe next time lol....


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## 10galfornow (May 13, 2011)

wow man this looks awesome, i'm super jelly of your photography too :icon_smil glad the cardinals are working out for you now!


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

TickleMyElmo said:


> Nevarrrrr! I are an Arteeeeest, I can not have such a boring angleeeeeee! /French
> 
> But yeah, okay, maybe next time lol....


I never thought I'd see you getting a critique, Elmo.

I think you need some panda garras for your tank!


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

10galfornow said:


> wow man this looks awesome, i'm super jelly of your photography too :icon_smil glad the cardinals are working out for you now!


Haha thanks! Appreciate the positive comments :icon_smil And yeah, I'm glad too, everything seems perfect now...



zachary908 said:


> I never thought I'd see you getting a critique, Elmo.
> 
> I think you need some panda garras for your tank!


Wow, those do look pretty cool, and from what I read, my tank mimics their natural habitat pretty well :hihi:


On another note, guess what will be here Thursday....

This will! http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Camera-Lenses/2184/AF-S-NIKKOR-24mm-f%2F1.4G-ED.html

Weeeeeeeeeeeee :bounce: Hello wide angle bokehlicious awesomeness! Cant wait to shoot the fall foliage with it ( and the tank too lol )


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

bokehlicious! i want one!!


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## Uptown193 (Apr 25, 2011)

Hey how is your plant growth with that type of LED light? and you have any algae?


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Uptown193 said:


> Hey how is your plant growth with that type of LED light? and you have any algae?


Plant growth is actually really good, especially the plants above the waterline. They're already past touching the light! No algae at all...


------------------------------------------

Some more Gourami pics! Got my new lens :biggrin: Not exactly the best lens for fish pics since its a wide angle, but whatever, I'll have to make do with what I have  Because its a wide angle lens, my lens was within centimeters of the front aquarium glass lol...

Start the show! (I love 24mm wide angle 1.4 lenses )

DSC_0221 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0294 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0272 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0293 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0311 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0282 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0269 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0306 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0261 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0260-2 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0251 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0302 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0264 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0288 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0283 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0259 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr

"I love eating sand!"

DSC_0300 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0278-2 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


DSC_0250 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

more pics  yay!

i love the first shot, just the wide angle! great shots all around, as usual!


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

Yeah, Panda garras are awesome little fish! We sell them like mad where I work. Nice algae eaters IME

Lovely shots as always, that is one sexy lens!


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Whoops, forgot to include pics of the new hot-ness :hihi:....I mean, uhhhh, I have to keep the journal accurate, you know.....in case somebody reads it and wonders what camera I use...


Untitled by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


Untitled by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

not like you havent said it a million times! i love some hot looking DSLR pics! lens looks great


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

orchidman said:


> not like you havent said it a million times! i love some hot looking DSLR pics! lens looks great


Hehe very true! Its amazing how hefty the pro DSLRs are. I forgot what they were like when I had my D7000....the D700 feels about the same size without the grip as the D7000 did with the grip! And The D700 is heavier, much thicker, and wider than the D7000 and battery grip combined! And the FX lenses weigh a ton! That's okay though, I like the heft and solid-ness of it lol...


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

yeah, the pros are much denser. i want a nice camera, i think ill get a d7000 next, if something else doesnt come out by then


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

orchidman said:


> yeah, the pros are much denser. i want a nice camera, i think ill get a d7000 next, if something else doesnt come out by then


Cant go wrong with a D7000, its a great camera....I really liked mine the entire time I had it roud:

I plan to get my 85mm 1.4G next in about 2 weeks, if there's any available, as theyre very hard to find lately and sell out very quickly when in stock. But when I do, it should make for some awesome fish pics :icon_bigg


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Beautiful shots


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

2in10 said:


> Beautiful shots


Thanks!


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

cool! cant wait to see more shots when the new lens arrives


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## mjbubbles (Aug 26, 2011)

Lovely! The gouramis seem to be getting along.
mj


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

orchidman said:


> cool! cant wait to see more shots when the new lens arrives



Hehe me too. I'm tempted to just get it now, but I really have to do the responsible thing and wait until my bank account recovers......

At least I can say I've never had a credit card or even used one. Don't really believe in it. I'll have to get one soon just to build credit, but I'll only use it for small stuff and emergencies. I'm proud to say that everything I have, including all of my photo equipment, was paid in cash in full at the time of purchase :smile:

Man, being responsible sucks! :hihi: lol...



mjbubbles said:


> Lovely! The gouramis seem to be getting along.
> mj


Yeah they're actually getting along really really well. They actually follow each other around the tank all day, and not in an aggressive way. It's like they're actually friends. There's been no fin-nipping or any signs of aggression whatsoever, they just seem to be good buddies lol...:thumbsup:


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

sounds great, sounds responsible, sounds boring. but good at the same time. lol!

good for you being a good boy! haha


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Well, I sold the 24mm 1.4G, seemed too wide without being wide enough, if that makes any sense :hihi: ...I got the 35mm 1.4G instead, and I'll also be picking up the 14-24 2.8G for landscapes...

Anyways, there's been a lot of growth in the tank. Both sides are now very tall, and the pothos roots are absolutely crazy. They're everywhere, and branch out really wide. It's like an underwater maze lol...Also, the pothos keeps sprouting up new leaves, it's really cool to see them progress...

A picture from 10-2-2011:

DSC_0070 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


Andddddddd.....Today 11-3-2011, one month later:

DSC_1120 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr

The roots are even crazier and more intricate than the picture can show! There's lots more you cant see, too....

DSC_1106-2 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


Havn't updated in a while, for both tanks. I'll have to do a serious photoshoot again soon, so far battlefield 3 has been taking up all my time, along with this, V .....which I got a week or so ago :red_mouth


New Guitar! by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr

Anyways, I'll update again with better pics soon!


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## PC1 (May 21, 2010)

wooo hooo! That is SAAWEEEEEET!!!!


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

nice! look at all that growth!


you and your lenses! everytime i log on, you've sold a lens and have already bought a replacement!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Nice roots on those pothos vine!


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

PC1 said:


> wooo hooo! That is SAAWEEEEEET!!!!


Hehe, thanks!



orchidman said:


> nice! look at all that growth!
> 
> 
> you and your lenses! everytime i log on, you've sold a lens and have already bought a replacement!


LOL, I'm picky about my lenses! Well, not so much picky, its just that the internet makes it so easy to sell lenses and cameras, that if something isn't your style, its really easy to sell it quickly and move on! :icon_bigg And then you end up with the gear setup you know you truly love, since you've had a taste of the different lenses Nikon offers and found your favorites! 

That, and my lens want list changes constantly. For example, a week ago I had my heart set on a 14-24, but now I'm realizing I really miss doing a lot of wildlife photography, so a 300mm f/2.8 or 500mm f/4 is now next, and then the 14-24!........Eh, I think I need help! :help: lol...



hydrophyte said:


> Nice roots on those pothos vine!


Thanks, they're definitely growing like weeds lol...


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

your making me drool! talking about 300mm f/2.8 i dont even let myself dream about things so expensive!


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## lbacha (Apr 13, 2011)

Just wait till your pothos really starts to grow, if you let it grow up and out of the tank the highest leaves will really get big, if the humidity is high and there is enough light they can get 12" across, it will stay smaller if you let it trail down the side of the tank, not sure why but like philodendrons the leaves stay smaller when hanging down and grow huge when allowed to climb something. Ive seen this on the couple P scandens I have in my apartment they have trailed down to the floor and are now growing back up the wall and the leaves on the stems going up are twice the size of the ones going down. I think it is a mechanism for the climbing vines to get more sun and the hanging vines to spread quicker and find something else to climb.

Len


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

orchidman said:


> your making me drool! talking about 300mm f/2.8 i dont even let myself dream about things so expensive!


Don't ever let anyone tell you growing up and getting a job is a bad thing  People used to say that to me all the time.....always bugged me, I couldn't wait to be an adult and make my own money lol...



lbacha said:


> Just wait till your pothos really starts to grow, if you let it grow up and out of the tank the highest leaves will really get big, if the humidity is high and there is enough light they can get 12" across, it will stay smaller if you let it trail down the side of the tank, not sure why but like philodendrons the leaves stay smaller when hanging down and grow huge when allowed to climb something. Ive seen this on the couple P scandens I have in my apartment they have trailed down to the floor and are now growing back up the wall and the leaves on the stems going up are twice the size of the ones going down. I think it is a mechanism for the climbing vines to get more sun and the hanging vines to spread quicker and find something else to climb.
> 
> Len


Yeah I don't doubt it. The pothos has already sent out more leaves, but more forward this time.....its starting to take over completely! I'm gonna' have to start hacking it back soon lol...


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

lol! id love to be able to earn money doing photography! i work with my mom with our family photography business, but its not a steady type income. i think the first lens id get had i the money is a nice macro, with a low f-stop. but a camera would come first. so im not using my moms.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Figured I'd post a growth update! 

Don't mind the fact my pics have no borders, my lovely PC got a virus which fried my wireless internet adapter, and disabled system restore, so I was forced to reset my computer to factory settings! I lost all my pictures, lightroom profiles and setups (like the borders), and most documents! I **** ****** ******* ******* HATE my PC! I will be ordering a 27" iMac within two weeks, which is something I should have done a long time ago, especially for my photography work........and you know why I'll enjoy the iMac?!?! BECAUSE IT JUST WORKS! No maintenance, no viruses, no malware, no stupid menus!

Phew, rant over, I feel better now lol....luckily all my good pictures were stored/backed up on Flickr, so I still have digital copies!

I need to cut out some of the growth, its getting pretty crazy, especially the roots in the water!

First a picture from 10-2-2011

DSC_0070 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr

Then 11-3-2011....

DSC_1120 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr

And Today!....12-4-2011

0EH_1656.jpg by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr

12-4-2011

0EH_1653.jpg by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


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## plecostomouse (Jun 9, 2011)

looks very kool, could you get some close-ups of the plants and roots?

thanks


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

Man that sucks! I would be very unhappy! And I bet you are! I hope you had some thing on an external hard drive!


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## driftwoods (Feb 2, 2011)

Wow that is a jungle in there. Love it though looks good.


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## frenchymasters (Nov 28, 2011)

this would be awesome for my leaf fish that i just bought today! thanks for inspiring me!


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## PC1 (May 21, 2010)

Man looking better everytime!


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## demonr6 (Mar 14, 2011)

do we need to have a chat about storing your valuable images on anything other than a separate terabyte drive that is backed up and secure only to be connected when you are working with your image files?! good lord man!!


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## frenchymasters (Nov 28, 2011)

just few quick questions for you....how did you attacht the plants on the water surface? and what plants are you using for that affect?


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## PC1 (May 21, 2010)

It's Pothos which is a common house plant. Most places with a nursery will have them. All you have to do is tie them to the wood and they grow like mad. Roots will go in the water and the plant will do just fine!


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## frenchymasters (Nov 28, 2011)

PC1 said:


> It's Pothos which is a common house plant. Most places with a nursery will have them. All you have to do is tie them to the wood and they grow like mad. Roots will go in the water and the plant will do just fine!


but what are the other plants? i have grown some house plants but do you think they need some dirt?! hahaha


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## PC1 (May 21, 2010)

Under water are Anubias, pothos dont need to be in dirt they will thrive in just water


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

PC1 said:


> Under water are Anubias, pothos dont need to be in dirt they will thrive in just water


 Yeah they will, I have two vines growing in my overflow and they are growing like weeds.

Elmo tank looks awesome, haven't seen it in quite some time. Def coming along well.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

I like the look of the heavy growth up top, but I like the bottom to be less dense so I'll probably trim the roots a bunch. I might trim the top section a little bit too, the pothos is getting so big that you cant even see half of the other plants in there lol



plecostomouse said:


> looks very kool, could you get some close-ups of the plants and roots?
> 
> thanks


Sure thing, I'll get some shortly...



orchidman said:


> Man that sucks! I would be very unhappy! And I bet you are! I hope you had some thing on an external hard drive!


Haha yeah, but its okay, everything really important picture wise is stored on my flickr account 



driftwoods said:


> Wow that is a jungle in there. Love it though looks good.


Thanks! And yep, its quite the jungle lol...



frenchymasters said:


> this would be awesome for my leaf fish that i just bought today! thanks for inspiring me!


Haha definitely would be awesome for leaf fish! I think it would be a really awesome setup for archer fish too if it was bigger, I've always wanted an archer fish setup but it would have to be a tall column tank to prevent water splashing out of the tank and such lol...



PC1 said:


> Man looking better everytime!


Thanks!



demonr6 said:


> do we need to have a chat about storing your valuable images on anything other than a separate terabyte drive that is backed up and secure only to be connected when you are working with your image files?! good lord man!!


Haha I know, I know, but like I said, everything really important photographically speaking was stored on Flickr, so I'm not terribly upset :thumbsup: 



frenchymasters said:


> just few quick questions for you....how did you attacht the plants on the water surface? and what plants are you using for that affect?


Mostly attached them to the driftwood with those little magnesium plant sinkers bands most fish stores sell to wrap around plant stems and keep them under the substrate. Figured they were easily bendable, strong, and the plants could grow around them eventually, making them semi-permanent and ultra stable...

As far as plants, I did it the easy (but clever!) way.....you know all those plants they sell at petsmart that are actually mostly above water plants that suck for underwater planted tank use? Yep, jackpot! I just bought the ones marked semi-aquatic, like the white ribbon, kyoto grass, gold ribbon, all of which are in my tank....below water is anubias and some amazon swords, but you cant see them because they're in the back, along with the river rocks which you also don't see because its so dark in the back lol...



SlammedDC2 said:


> Yeah they will, I have two vines growing in my overflow and they are growing like weeds.
> 
> Elmo tank looks awesome, haven't seen it in quite some time. Def coming along well.


Thanks man!


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

For those who may have missed it, I am now shooting with these:


New Lenses by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr

Anyways, I figured I would post an update today after I got done with a healthy trimming. I took some before and after pics....

Before:


0EH_1746 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


0EH_1750 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


0EH_1752 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


0EH_1758 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


As you can see, it was getting really ridiculous! Stuff was growing out, to the side, and away lol...

0EH_1761 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


0EH_1762 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


The Pothos has already firmly attached itself to the driftwood in multiple spots, like here for example...

0EH_1763 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


And the roots were getting just as crazy...

0EH_1765 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


The trimmings, with a quarter for size reference...

0EH_1769 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


Post-Trim:


0EH_1772 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


0EH_1786 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


0EH_1782 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


0EH_1783 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


0EH_1793 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


0EH_1799 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


0EH_1801 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


0EH_1802 by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

Wow Crazy Growth!

Those are some SERIOUS looking lenses. Looks like the ones they use on the sidelines during NFL games.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

shrimpnmoss said:


> Wow Crazy Growth!
> 
> Those are some SERIOUS looking lenses. Looks like the ones they use on the sidelines during NFL games.


Yeah the growth was pretty cool! And thanks! Those are no super telephoto lenses, however as soon as this wedding thing gets going a 400mm 2.8 will be my first purchase, which IS what they use on the sidelines of NFL games lol...

Or maybe Ill just sell everything and buy the 400mm 2.8 right away! lol...


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## plecostomouse (Jun 9, 2011)

awesome photos!
what are those plants scientific name?
thanks


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## matty26 (Feb 25, 2011)

show us what's in the tank!


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

love the lenses!!!  i want!!  

the tank looks great! especially after that trim!


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

plecostomouse said:


> awesome photos!
> what are those plants scientific name?
> thanks


Hah, I have no idea...



matty26 said:


> show us what's in the tank!


Not much at the moment! Just about 5 cardinal tetras. I either need to get more cardinals, or perhaps 1 or 2 Bolivian Rams. Only problem is I really don't think there's enough space for rams. On the other hand, it does simulate their environment pretty well so I'm not sure they'd mind the lack of water space, but I just don't know if it would work for them...



orchidman said:


> love the lenses!!!  i want!!
> 
> the tank looks great! especially after that trim!


Hehe, thanks and thanks!


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## PaulG (Oct 10, 2010)

Awesome tank! That pothos growth is mad.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

PaulG said:


> Awesome tank! That pothos growth is mad.


Thanks! And yeah, it does get out of control quickly lol...


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Sooo, it got a little overgrown again :icon_lol:


0EH_4473 by Erick Joseph Photography, on Flickr




So I trimmed it again! (and rearranged a few things...)


0EH_4484 by Erick Joseph Photography, on Flickr


0EH_4485 by Erick Joseph Photography, on Flickr


0EH_4497 by Erick Joseph Photography, on Flickr


0EH_4524 by Erick Joseph Photography, on Flickr




...I don't think I ever showed you guys the LED accent lighting underneath the stand!


0EH_4514 by Erick Joseph Photography, on Flickr


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

Look great! And the accent lighting is a nice touch!


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

orchidman said:


> Look great! And the accent lighting is a nice touch!


Thanks! And yeah, I like it lol...


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Nothing like a nice place to sit and watch TV and your tank! lol...


The Amazon in my Living Room by Erick Joseph Photography, on Flickr




Riparium by Erick Joseph Photography, on Flickr


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

Loved looking through your pictures of your tank. I've been looking for inspiration for redoing my 29 gallon tank. Definitely subscribing this your thread.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Thanks! Always nice to hear!


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## zzrguy (Jul 11, 2012)

very nice


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Update! I haven't exactly been maintaining both of my tanks for a while, so I figured I'd give the riparium a little trim....plus a behind the scene's of the setup used for the pictures!...










Apparently, this is what happens when you don't trim your tank in a while :icon_lol:






Setup: I used Phottix Stratto II Radio Triggers on the D3s and a Yongnuo 560 II Speedlite triggered from above the tank pointing down, with the bounce card...


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

looks great! your a brave man putting your speedlight on that shelf!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That looks great!

I wish my camera would take nice clear pictures like that.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

orchidman said:


> looks great! your a brave man putting your speedlight on that shelf!


Thanks man! Luckily all my gear is insured hehe  ...



hydrophyte said:


> That looks great!
> 
> I wish my camera would take nice clear pictures like that.


Thanks!


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## andrewss (Oct 17, 2012)

I really like your tank... the riparium setup looks great in your room - outstanding work


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

andrewss said:


> I really like your tank... the riparium setup looks great in your room - outstanding work


Thanks!


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## PRSRocker3390 (Apr 20, 2009)

I'm still loving the tank! It looks awesome!


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

PRSRocker3390 said:


> I'm still loving the tank! It looks awesome!


Thanks!

Unfortunately, all the fish in this tank and my 40B died after spending 9 days without heat or power in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy  Unfortunate,...I'll just have to restock it stronger than before!


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## andrewss (Oct 17, 2012)

sorry to hear


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Just an update video (in 1080p, of course!)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAiGC7o44Ko&list=UUjAHOr1I6Q_W41rWzX9BEeg&index=1


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## Fish Ed (Oct 25, 2011)

Still looking good!


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Any updates on this tank? Is it still running?


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