# Loose Llanos Biotope



## AirstoND (Jun 17, 2011)

I cut a 8-16oz plastic cup in half and used it as a baffle for HOB (taped across outflow) for betta and lilies (if you're using canister someone else could chime in).

Just some recommendations:
1) Nitro-zorb or nitrate absorbing plants.
2) These fish also prefer a darker tank setup, some floating dwarf water lettuce, frogbit, or water lily?
3) Might want to add airstone timed for night operation (for plants)


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

Thanks 
I have an air pump on my other tank at night, so I was planning on that, but forgot to mention it.
I just asked for some frog bit from someone local! 
I'm not sure I understand your baffle cup set up though, does the cup just go in front of the water fall attached to the plastic?



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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

Ok, I'm on Tapatalk, I just zoomed in on the picture, I see the baffle, thanks!

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## matty26 (Feb 25, 2011)

On evil bay, you can search cfs 500 and that filter works great, $60 shipped. I had t8 shop lights before and my lights were louder than my filter! Highly recomended!


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

matty26 said:


> On evil bay, you can search cfs 500 and that filter works great, $60 shipped. I had t8 shop lights before and my lights were louder than my filter! Highly recomended!


Lol, why is that one meathead selling his for 225.00? Description even says, "Compare to filters costing 100's more"


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## bpb (Mar 8, 2011)

sevenyearnight said:


> Lol, why is that one meathead selling his for 225.00? Description even says, "Compare to filters costing 100's more"
> 
> 
> Sent from my LS670 using Tapatalk


This isn't the first time I have seen something like this happen. It is quite often that the sellers are a lot dumber than the buyers.


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

Hardscape and then planted.
A few pieces started floating again, so I'll reposition them when they sink unassisted.


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## demonr6 (Mar 14, 2011)

Looks nice so far.


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

Thank you.

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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

Wood stopped floating 

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## Sharp (Dec 7, 2011)

Very nice. Really like the shape of the wood on the left.


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

Tank looks awesome, very nicely done.


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

Thank you very much 

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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

The floaters have grown in nicely, fortunately I have a tank to move them too that houses fish that love to eat the roots.


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## FreedPenguin (Aug 2, 2011)

Beautiful!


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

Thank you 

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## reddhawkk (Dec 28, 2011)

Awesome! I am working on a tank just like that only a 29 gallon and only rams or checkerboards.


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

reddhawkk said:


> Awesome! I am working on a tank just like that only a 29 gallon and only rams or checkerboards.


 Got a link, any pics?


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

Updated pic, and the Cardinal Tetras are almost finished with quarantine, so they'll be in here soon. 


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## scapegoat (Jun 3, 2010)

that's pretty damn awesome looking


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

scapegoat said:


> that's pretty damn awesome looking


Thank you!

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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

Today I added the 18 Cardinals from quarantine.


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Lovely!


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

scapegoat said:


> that's pretty damn awesome looking


I agree. I love the frog bit. I really want some in my 125g but I can't figure out how to keep it with my overflow.

When do the rams go in?


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

Thank you both!
@Slammed, is there anyway you can make like a corral to keep the plants from getting in the overflow? Like maybe some airline tubing?

I want to give the Cardinals a chance to adjust, and also need to add another heater because this one only gets the tank to 78.5°. Also I need one more timer for the night time bubbles.


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

I tried that but it wouldn't stay taught enough to keep it back.


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## reddhawkk (Dec 28, 2011)

Sorry but my tank is not quite set up yet. No pictures yet either. Soon.


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

Cardinals by the cardinalis.









FTS, sorry it's so light unbalanced, I only have my cell to take pics with, I really need to borrow my friend's Canon.


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## allaboutfish (Oct 14, 2011)

so did you end up doing the light from HD, and do you add ferts and is that light 30 something watts too?


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

allaboutfish said:


> so did you end up doing the light from HD, and do you add ferts and is that light 30 something watts too?


 I went with the white Lights of America shop light from Walmart. The bulbs are 32 watts each. I'm dosing pretty much E.I., a bit less, and the DIY CO2 is just sugar and yeast with a wooden diffuser.


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## allaboutfish (Oct 14, 2011)

what kind of ferts? i have almost the same light but i got one at home depot thats just silver and its around the same watts. i dose macros and micros and soon carbon. hopefully my plants will look like yours


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

Is it really shiny silver? I wanted to get that one, but I didn't. Which bulbs did you buy?

For nitrate I dose Stump Remover KNO3.
For phosphorus I dose Seachem Flourish Phosphorus.
For potassium I dose Morton Salt Substitute.
For micros I dose Seachem Flourish Comprehensive.
For calcium and magnesium (I use RO/DI) I dose a little bit of Seachem Reef Fusion 1, since I have it for my marine tanks already.
For KH alkalinity I dose baking soda.


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## allaboutfish (Oct 14, 2011)

yup shiny silver, and i went over to the light bulbs and they had daylight T8 6,500K 30 something watts and i got 2. hopefully mine will look as good as yours with just the macros and micros and carbon, haha. i love how the sagitiria looks like that, bc my pygmy chain sword looks no where like that, yet.


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

Thank you 
I didn't have much luck with the chain sword


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## allaboutfish (Oct 14, 2011)

maybe i should switch then. i love the brazilian pennywort, ill have to make WTB thread soon
thanks!!


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

Sagittaria is indestructible lol


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## Doc7 (Apr 7, 2011)

What are your floating plants?

I want to have some in my 40B but I have quite a bit of surface movement from the filter and think they would just get tossed under water and blown around, that or smushed against the front glass. Additionally my lights are right on top of water so the plants wouldn't get any as they wouldn't stay under. 

I want a mass of roots like that in my "planted quarantine" someday though : )


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## bpb (Mar 8, 2011)

I have your exact same problem in one of my tanks. The water movement at the surface pushes the dwarf water lettuce away from the light which is a 2 bulb strip that sits directly on the glass cover. It gets very little light but is real hardy. I mainly keep it as food for the Buenos aires teteas. The prefer it over other plants in the tank. It's ugly because the roots break off from the flow and the leaves are yellow and half nibbled on, but it serves its purpose. In my smaller tank with higher light, no plant eaters and a calm surface, it grows like mad. I haven't done a water change in a month in my HEAVILY stocked 10 gallon and the nitrates are only 10ppm. I attribute that to floating plants.


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

The floaters are Frog bit and dwarf water lettuce. 

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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

We got the baby Rams yesterday, and straying from the biotope, cockatoo cichlids as well.














https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvJmmZpTFrc&feature=youtube_gdata_player 

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## Lovin Fish (Jan 8, 2012)

This has got to be my most favorite tank I have ever seen! I have seen thousands!!!! Turst me! Millions! This one just has something about it that makes me stare at it everytime I come to this forum! If you don't mind, I would love to save this picture to my desktop. It is just that gorgeous!

I am wondering if you would mind telling me how you made your wooden DIY co2 expeller and the sugar and yeast? I have seen different ways through researching online, but your tank is so amazing, I think I'd like to go your route with your home-made Co2 diffuser. I am setting up another tank...this time a 75 gallon low-tech planted. I haven't gotten anything for it yet...it is just a bare tank without a top, filter light or anything else!

Anyway, thanks for sharing this gorgeous design!!!


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

Lovin Fish said:


> This has got to be my most favorite tank I have ever seen! I have seen thousands!!!! Turst me! Millions! This one just has something about it that makes me stare at it everytime I come to this forum! If you don't mind, I would love to save this picture to my desktop. It is just that gorgeous!
> 
> I am wondering if you would mind telling me how you made your wooden DIY co2 expeller and the sugar and yeast? I have seen different ways through researching online, but your tank is so amazing, I think I'd like to go your route with your home-made Co2 diffuser. I am setting up another tank...this time a 75 gallon low-tech planted. I haven't gotten anything for it yet...it is just a bare tank without a top, filter light or anything else!
> 
> Anyway, thanks for sharing this gorgeous design!!!


Oh my! Thank you so much! What a great compliment that you would want to use it for your desktop. 

I've actually stopped using DIY, but I bought the wood diffuser in the marine section of Petco, it's limewood I believe. The yeast and sugar was just the standard recipe in a big plastic apple juice jug.
Because the temp right now is 82-83°, I stopped using the CO2, I'm using the Brightwell Aquatics Florin-Axis, and I may have to raise the light a bit.

But as far as updates go, I took the Cockatoo Apistos out, and my stocking list is now the 18 Cardinal Tetras, and the 2 German Rams, Hans and Edelweiss.


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## Lovin Fish (Jan 8, 2012)

sevenyearnight said:


> Oh my! Thank you so much! What a great compliment that you would want to use it for your desktop.
> 
> I've actually stopped using DIY, but I bought the wood diffuser in the marine section of Petco, it's limewood I believe. The yeast and sugar was just the standard recipe in a big plastic apple juice jug.
> Because the temp right now is 82-83°, I stopped using the CO2, I'm using the Brightwell Aquatics Florin-Axis, and I may have to raise the light a bit.
> ...


Since you have switched your method, how is your tank re-acting? Looking the same or has it changed? Do you like it better or miss the old way? Sorry for all the questions. I'm just curious how things are going with this beauty of a tank!


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

I'd say that things aren't growing as quickly, but it's not by much. My dwarf sag took a hit from the ich treatment, my quarantine tank was being used when I got the cichlids. It's still kind of yellow but it will grow new leaves. 
I don't miss the old method, it served its purpose to grow out the plants, but I've actually lowered the light levels in my other tank and stopped using CO2 in it as well. The plants don't grow as quickly so they are more manageable. I have a zoo and several tanks, I don't like having to trim plants every week.

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## Lovin Fish (Jan 8, 2012)

sevenyearnight said:


> I'd say that things aren't growing as quickly, but it's not by much. My dwarf sag took a hit from the ich treatment, my quarantine tank was being used when I got the cichlids. It's still kind of yellow but it will grow new leaves.
> I don't miss the old method, it served its purpose to grow out the plants, but I've actually lowered the light levels in my other tank and stopped using CO2 in it as well. The plants don't grow as quickly so they are more manageable. I have a zoo and several tanks, I don't like having to trim plants every week.
> 
> Sent from my LS670 using Tapatalk


Interesting. So, perhaps when I get my planted tank started I should go with the DIY Co2 method until my plants grow out and then slowly back off with the light and and Co2? What do you think? I really would like to have it grow in quickly so I can get some Discus before next winter. But, I don't want to continue with it growing too fast so I can leave my Discus alone as much as possible once they are in their tank.
Thanks! :tongue:


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

Sounds like a good plan!

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## Lovin Fish (Jan 8, 2012)

sevenyearnight said:


> Sounds like a good plan!
> 
> Sent from my LS670 using Tapatalk


Awesome! Thanks!!!


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## Lovin Fish (Jan 8, 2012)

So...just wanted to share our new plan. We are going to have an 88 gallon discus tank, and a 75 gallon river tank for roselines! Fun Fun Fun!!! 
Thank you for all your help everyone!


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

Lovin Fish said:


> So...just wanted to share our new plan. We are going to have an 88 gallon discus tank, and a 75 gallon river tank for roselines! Fun Fun Fun!!!
> Thank you for all your help everyone!


Everyone? Lol you're welcome?

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## Lovin Fish (Jan 8, 2012)

sevenyearnight said:


> Everyone? Lol you're welcome?
> 
> Sent from my LS670 using Tapatalk


Yeah, yeah your right :icon_redf ...not_ everyone_ LOL!


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## Lovin Fish (Jan 8, 2012)

Guess what??? My desktop is gorgeous! LOL! Now if only I can get my fishtank to be so nice.


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

You can do it!

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## Lovin Fish (Jan 8, 2012)

sevenyearnight said:


> You can do it!
> 
> Sent from my LS670 using Tapatalk


Thanks for the encouragment  I think I will do a better job with the Discus tank than the river tank. I want both to be great, but how to pull it off with loads of water movement, I have no idea how it's gonna turn out.

Once I get my equipment I will start a build thread like you did. I would love it if you stepped in on the thread when ever you see something that IYO is not a good idea. :tongue:


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

Lovin Fish said:


> Thanks for the encouragment  I think I will do a better job with the Discus tank than the river tank. I want both to be great, but how to pull it off with loads of water movement, I have no idea how it's gonna turn out.
> 
> Once I get my equipment I will start a build thread like you did. I would love it if you stepped in on the thread when ever you see something that IYO is not a good idea. :tongue:


Ok, just let me know when you start it!

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## Elliot (Oct 3, 2010)

Any updates?


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

Elliot said:


> Any updates?


Nothing is really new, but here are some new pics:

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## FlyingGiraffes (Jan 30, 2011)

Beautiful tank. Definitely beats a lot of the high tech tanks out there. 

Your rams are gorgeous! I want a pair.


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## ony (Apr 1, 2011)

Very inspirational tank. Looks so much like a forest that I almost want to walk into it.


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

What very nice comments, thank you both so much 

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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

Your tank is quite nice. I like how the plants encompass the whole thing! Beautiful


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

very nice the roots from your floaters in the last pics are crazy, the fish must love it. any changes to your set up?


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

It is such a beautiful tank - any new pics?


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## Meganne (Sep 3, 2012)

the roots of the floating plants add a wonderful dimention


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## Cinbos (Dec 8, 2012)

Love the tank! Now that there is no co2, whats the growth rate like? And I thought you said you weren't having any luck with the micro swords...they look pretty healthy to me! And how long now has you tank been off of co2?

More pics also...liking this thread!


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## jpalimpsest (Dec 7, 2012)

Beautiful tank. I love the wilderness look.


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## PaulG (Oct 10, 2010)

Wonderful tank!


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## thebuddha (Jul 16, 2012)

ill bet those rams love their home


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