# 90 Gallon Boesemani Tank [56K]



## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

*Tank Specs:*
48 x 18 x 25 (90 US Gallons)

*Equipment:*
Rena FilStar XP3
3x Current LED+
Coralife 8 watt 3x Turbo Twist UV Sterilizer
Hydro Koralia 425
[STRIKE]Pressurized C02 with Ista Max Mix[/STRIKE]

*Flora:*
Microsorum Pteropus (Java Fern)
Broad Leaf Amazon Sword
Cryptocoryne Wendtii 'Green'
Anubias Barteri 'Nana'
Anubias Barteri 'Petite'
Eleocharis acicularis (Dwarf Hairgrass)
Narrow Leaf Java Fern
Lace Java Fern
Crypt Spiralis
Dwarf Sag
[STRIKE]Cabomba Caroliniana[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Clinopodium Brownei (Mint Charlie)[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Ludwigia[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Tiger Lotus[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Dwarf Sag[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Glossostigma Elatinoides[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Vallisneria Americana Gigantea (Jungle Val)[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Hygrophila Corymbosa[/STRIKE]

*Fauna:*
1x Red tetra
1x Albino Cory
2x Albino Bristlenose Pleco
2x Siamese Algae Eater
3x Peppered Cory
3x Neon Tetra
7x Whisker Shrimp
7x Emerald Cory
8x Boesemani Rainbow
10x Pristella Tetra
[STRIKE]1x Albino Cory[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]1x Albino Bristlenose Pleco[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]2x Angel Fish[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]6x Red Tetra[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]10x Neon Tetra[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]2x Assassin Snail[/STRIKE]

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I bought this tank off of a guy that wasn't able to keep up with it anymore. It was completely covered in about an inch of algae. This is where I'm at after 2 weeks of cleaning and pruning.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Updated growth. Still working on getting some more 6700K bulbs. Currently only have 1 6700K 2 10,000K and 1 Actinic. I have 2 6700K on order right now. Still looking for some ideas for a good foreground plant. Anyone recommend anything?


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## aXio (May 29, 2011)

I like the plant arrangement


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## Doc7 (Apr 7, 2011)

JEden8 said:


> Updated growth. Still working on getting some more 6700K bulbs. Currently only have 1 6700K 2 10,000K and 1 Actinic. I have 2 6700K on order right now. Still looking for some ideas for a good foreground plant. Anyone recommend anything?



Tank looks good! 

I'm no expert aquascaper but I feel like that foreground is begging for something other than HC. (not a hater of it, i love it in my tank, but dont think it would transition right to what you have behind it)

From what I have seen Glosso might look just right in yours or are you looking for a grassy plant? I like the Lilaeopsis mauritiana that I've seen growing particularly in Lauraleellbp's tanks.


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## Jim_PA (Aug 26, 2011)

Nice setup. I have a question about your lights, I have the same lights for my tank, but was told by several people on this board to remove 2 of them, as it was too much light. Are you finding the same problem? My tank is heavly planted and has CO2 setup.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

aXio said:


> I like the plant arrangement


Thanks axio!



Doc7 said:


> Tank looks good!
> 
> I'm no expert aquascaper but I feel like that foreground is begging for something other than HC. (not a hater of it, i love it in my tank, but dont think it would transition right to what you have behind it)
> 
> From what I have seen Glosso might look just right in yours or are you looking for a grassy plant? I like the Lilaeopsis mauritiana that I've seen growing particularly in Lauraleellbp's tanks.


Thanks doc! I've never had any luck with HC in any of my other tanks so I don't think I would go that route either. Don't think it would be tall enough either like you said. I've got mixed emotions on grassy like plants but love how quickly they fill in! I was thinking of just using some microswords but I like the thinner leaf of what you're recommending. I will definitely add it to the list of plants to look into! Thanks for the help and I'll keep ya posted on what I decide to do!



Jim_PA said:


> Nice setup. I have a question about your lights, I have the same lights for my tank, but was told by several people on this board to remove 2 of them, as it was too much light. Are you finding the same problem? My tank is heavly planted and has CO2 setup.


Thanks Jim! I'm no planted tank expert whatsoever to be honest with you. This is my 4th planted tank and have never had to deal with algae. All of my tanks have had 2 wpg, pressurized C02, and dosing dry ferts through the EI method. This tank does not have pressurized C02 as of yet. Still gotta refill my tank and build a C02 reactor. I'm going to be leaving either a 10,000K bulb or an actinic bulb in there so it doesn't drown the tank out with too much yellow color. So in my experience, no this is not too much light and have never had problems with anything around 2 wpg. The gentleman that owned this tank before me supposedly grew all the plants in there under 2x 10,000K and 2x Actinic. We'll see how changing the bulbs out will help. I've already seen a big increase in growth with only changing one bulb to a 6700K. Don't know if this helps at all. Hope it does!

Thanks again everyone!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Well I had a bit of a problem this week. Started with one of my rainbows getting a really bad fungus on the eye and one of the gills. I put him in a quarantine tank and am currently treating. After noticing that I started watching my other fish really close to see if anything else would happen to any of them. Couple days later I noticed two of my rainbows had ich. They each had 2 spots so I decided that night I would do a 50% water change and raise the temp up to 86* to see if I could kill off the ich. When I got the tank about 90% refilled I noticed the fish were starting to act weird. I checked the temp of the water and it was only 1* off. I checked the water parameters and got 0ppm Nitrites, 0ppm Nitrates, 7.2-7.4ph, and 1-1.5ppm Ammonia. I thought that was crazy after just doing a 50% and the weekend before after doing a water change my numbers were zero'd out as well. I checked the tap water and the ammonia comming from the tap was 1.5-2.0ppm. After doing some further research, this was due to the water company adding more chloramine to the water for the winter and my tap water conditioner wasn't enough to handle the spike. I'm now switching over to Prime to do my water changes to help account for the higher chloramine. First time this happened in almost 2 years that I've lived in this place. Well I learned the hard way as I lost 6 rainbows and 1 neon. All the other fish are doing well and the ich is beginning to drop. Here's an updated shot of what the tank looks like after 2 weeks:










Still waiting on the new bulbs as my LFS had a problem with shipment where they were all shattered. Should have them in this upcoming week...I hope. Once I get a chance to get out to my other LFS I'll be looking at getting some low lying plants for the front.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

So I'm debating on if I should go get some Micro Sword Narrow Leaf (Lilaeopsis 'Mauritiana') or not. Right now I only have 1 6700K bulb but should have 2 more this week. I also have the temp raised to 86* to help with a small amount of ich noticed on 2 fish. Do I wait to add buy the plants and put them in or is it ok do add them now? Thanks for the help!


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## frenchymasters (Nov 28, 2011)

im so sad for your rainbows! they were so pretty! so your down to the bosemoni and the sexlineata?


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

frenchymasters said:


> im so sad for your rainbows! they were so pretty! so your down to the bosemoni and the sexlineata?


Yea I know...Me too...Those were the fish I didn't want to lose and that's why I did the 50% to ensure they had some clean water. Then it just ended up killing them. I have 1 boesemoni and I don't know what the other one. If it is even a rainbow either. I'll post a pic of it here in a little bit to have someone help me identify it.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Well another week has gone by. The remaining fish are doing better. No signs of ich anymore and will be keeping the temp up till Tuesday to be sure. I haven't seen it on any of them for 4 days now. Finally got two more 6700K bulbs and am currently working on making a C02 reactor using Tom Barr's design. Hoping to get that accomplished next week and hooking up the C02. I'm going to be hooking up a 24oz paintball setup temporarily until I get a 5# setup. Any ideas on how long it will last? I haven't been able to find any info for that.

Well here's an updated shot for now. Probably won't post any more pics until I get the C02 up and running fully and notice a big difference in growth.










I'm also looking to get some Dwarf Sag for the foreground as that's the only low lying carpeting plant I can find around here. Anyone from the Tampa area know of somewhere that has a better low lying carpet plants?

Thanks all!


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## matty26 (Feb 25, 2011)

You should try glosso or mm, also, i would suggest a background on your tank, it will hide all the wires and what not


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

matty26 said:


> You should try glosso or mm, also, i would suggest a background on your tank, it will hide all the wires and what not


Well I was planning on painting it black but got some feedback from my post that it may be a bad idea to paint it. So now I'm reconsidering everything. Don't know what I'm going to do now. I mean I doubt I'm going to get rid of the tank so that makes it worth to paint to me. But what about losing light reflections that are valuable to the plants? What if I don't like it painted. Ya know what I mean?


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Just picked up 3 whisker shrimp today and added them in.

Got my cracked stand repaired and now am fighting a battle of BBA which the tank was completely covered in by the previous owner. I cleaned it up the best I could but it's starting to come back. So the battle begins...

Edit****

Just picked up 2 more whisker shrimp and 4 Siamese Algae Eaters to help with my case of BBA

Edit****


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Had a chance to take a couple photos of 2 of my Whisker Shrimp. Thought I'd share them.


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## akdylpickles (Feb 21, 2011)

How you looked into dwarf hairgrass as a foreground plant? its looks really good when it fills in.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

The day I went out to get everything I couldn't find Dwarf Hairgrass anywhere and ended up going with Dwarf Sag. I've had it before in 2 of my tanks and it grew like crazy. I bought like 8 pieces of it so we'll see how it fills in. If I don't like it then I'll pull it and drop it in another tank and grab the Dwarf Hairgrass.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

It's been a little while since an update. I had my surgery on my arm so I'm stuck home for 3 weeks recovering. I want to get my wife involved in this tank to make it our tank. In the past she would say she liked a certain fish or a certain plant and I would tell her no because I didn't like it. So I don't want to do that anymore so we both can enjoy the tank. So we restocked the tank this past weekend along with getting a new plant. She saw it and really liked it and I did as well. Need some help on identifying it and where I should place it. It was in the Amazon Sword tank but it was green and white. Reminded me of a Hosta that you would plant around a house. Here's a pic:










I just temporarily placed it just to the left of the driftwood on the right side until I do a water change. Where should I place it permanently? Also, as asked earlier, anyone know what it is?

Thanks!


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

Hard to tell from pic... Sure its not a house plant?


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

kwheeler91 said:


> Hard to tell from pic... Sure its not a house plant?


Sure hope it's not! lol Here's a better pic of the leaf:


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## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

Once you get your Co2 up and running for a bit that dwarf sag is going to go crazy! Mine went from about 12 little plants (about a 12" "patch") to now almost having half of my 90 gallon carpeted. I love that stuff. 

Is that a row of bronze crypts...the darker plants in the mid-front? Looking great either way!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Daximus said:


> Once you get your Co2 up and running for a bit that dwarf sag is going to go crazy! Mine went from about 12 little plants (about a 12" "patch") to now almost having half of my 90 gallon carpeted. I love that stuff.
> 
> Is that a row of bronze crypts...the darker plants in the mid-front? Looking great either way!


I know! Both of my previous tanks exploded with the Dwarf Sag and pressurized CO2!

I honestly don't know all the plants. I'll get some more detailed shots of the plants I don't know when the lights come on. Thanks for all of your help too!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Just posted the 4 plants that I don't know the name of in the plants section. Here's the link:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/plants/162764-need-some-plant-ids.html#post1694110


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

My new toy:










I will be installing this next week when I get my brace off my arm from surgery on my ulnar nerve.


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## inka4041 (Jul 27, 2008)

Great looking setup. That last plant looks like a spathiphyllum to me. I see you have one in your original flora list as well, but these guys are not aquatic as far as I know.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

inka4041 said:


> Great looking setup. That last plant looks like a spathiphyllum to me. I see you have one in your original flora list as well, but these guys are not aquatic as far as I know.


Thanks! I did some research on it the other night and had read that it could be grown either emersed or submersed. After reading your post I decided to do some more research and am now finding nothing but that it cannot be grown submersed. Kinda pisses me off as my lfs told me it was a form of amazon sword and that it would grow submersed. Paid $12 for it and now to find out it can't and that it's just a form of peace lilly. I guess what else could I do with it? I have a cat and peace lilies are poisonous to cats. I was thinking of getting a glass vase that I could put some substrate in and grow it emersed. Just place it high were the cat can't get it.


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## inka4041 (Jul 27, 2008)

You can grow it as a riparium plant. As long as the leaves/crown of the plant are mostly above water, they don't mind wet roots. I'd pop it in an HOB filter and have an instant vegetative filter, lol.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Well it's been quite a while since I've updated on the tank. Tank is slowly starting to fill in but looking good. Still recovering from my surgery on my arm so I've been doing a lot of planning on trying to figure out what I want to change about everything. Here's a pic of my arm when they removed my plaster cast and placed me in a metal adjustable brace:










A few weeks ago I had a discovery of 5 albino bristle nose plecos. I currently have them in a breeding net as I don't have room for a grow tank. They are still doing well and can't wait for them to get bigger! Restocked the tank finally and have updated the main post. Here's a quick shot of the tank.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Well I got my UV sterilized hooked up finally. Plumbed it in and run it at night only. It's only been one night so obviously won't notice much of a difference. I'm excited about it though as I like to think of it as an "insurance policy". Some may think its not necessary but I feel better having it. Thanks everyone again with my other posts asking about them. All your advice was helpful!

Also, my wife and I noticed that the male bristlenose has been hiding up in the driftwood for about the last week. I finally saw him moved out a little bit where I could see in the opening of the driftwood and saw 2 more fry. Don't know how many are actually in there but I'm excited! As of right now I have 5 of them in a breeding net in the tank. Thinking about just biting the bullet and purchasing a grow tank.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

So it's been a while. Life has been hectic but I thought I'd post an updated pic of the tank. The tank is a little neglected and needs some cleaning. Enjoy!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Still debating on if I want to do dwarf hair grass in the foreground or just stick with the dwarf sag. Any opinions?


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## CrazyCatPeekin (Aug 15, 2011)

Personally, I think the hair grass would look great.


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## GMYukonon24s (May 3, 2009)

What if you went with both.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

GMYukonon24s said:


> What if you went with both.


Hmm....Possibly. How would you plant them? Separate them or plant them speradicaly?


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## odie (Dec 29, 2009)

I would try both. Just put some on opposite ends to mic it up.

Dude sorry about the arm!! That looked gnarly, hope you feel better.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

odie said:


> I would try both. Just put some on opposite ends to mic it up.
> 
> Dude sorry about the arm!! That looked gnarly, hope you feel better.


So move all of the Dwarf Sag to one end and place some DHG on the opposite?

Thanks. It's getting better. It'll be another 3 months before I can start doing any lifting.


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## akdylpickles (Feb 21, 2011)

I think it would look nice with just the DHG because it would look mor natural with the other plants you have


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

akdylpickles said:


> I think it would look nice with just the DHG because it would look mor natural with the other plants you have


That's what I was thinking but have never had it so I didn't want to rip everything out and then end up not liking the DHG when it grows in and have to start over with Dwarf Sag.

Got another question, looking for any and all input on this. I am selling my 55 gallon setup and have this crazy looking piece of driftwood in there. Should I move this to my 90 gallon or should I just get rid of it when I get rid of my 55?










Again, I'm looking for any and all input on this! Thanks all!


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## caique (Mar 16, 2012)

What rate/how many gallons per hour are going through your UV Sterilizer many people get the wrong UV Sterilizer for the tanks. Then find that they don't work.

Check out this site http://www.aquariumplants.com/Emperor_Aquatics_SmartUVLite_Sterilizer_40_Watt_W_p/emp02240.htm

Do lots of reading.

That sucks you lost your rainbows love those little guys.

Good luck with the arm.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

caique said:


> What rate/how many gallons per hour are going through your UV Sterilizer many people get the wrong UV Sterilizer for the tanks. Then find that they don't work.
> 
> Check out this site http://www.aquariumplants.com/Emperor_Aquatics_SmartUVLite_Sterilizer_40_Watt_W_p/emp02240.htm
> 
> ...


I am running about 120 gal/hr through my UV Sterilizer. Before I went on vacation in February I noticed that four of my fish had some white spots again and I turned the sterilizer on while I was gone. When I got back about 10 days later all fish were cured. Not a single spot on any of them so I'm happy with my purchase!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Thinking about re-doing the tank. I'm going to start looking around for some better driftwood/rocks for the tank. Any suggestions on how I should layout the tank? Just looking for ideas as I'm still a newb. I've been doing a lot of looking at other tanks for ideas just don't' know how to execute.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

So I was at my LFS getting driftwood for my other tank and came across this piece of driftwood for my 90 gallon:










They have it mounted up and it's a stump. Don't know if I like it up like this or not but when I laid it flat, I thought it was cool looking:










Now I would need to do a little trimming on it to get it to fit in my 90 gallon but what do you think? Is it too short on the stump end? It's roughly a little over 3 feet long. Too overpowering? Or am I better off with something else?


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

So my wife and I got a DSLR and I started taking a few pictures of my fish. Love this thing so far!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Updated photo of the tank.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Well the plants were over taking the tank pretty bad where the angels didn't have a whole lot of room. I decided to trim everything up and replant the tank. It's painful to look at an empty tank but I know in a few months it'll be grown back in and hopefully the fish will have a better area to move in. Here's a quick shot of what it looks like now.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Just purchased an Aquatek C02 regulator. Hopefully get it next week because my plants are in need of some C02 since my tank ran out and I decided to get rid of my paintball setup. Anyone looking for one?


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## wetbizquit (Jul 9, 2006)

i am! but im poor lol, PM sent


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Seems like my tank is a breeding sanctuary. So far everything has breed at least once (except my neons and cory's). I'm sitting here watching my Angel's lay eggs all over my Amazon Swords. What should I do with them? Leave them in the tank or move them to something else?

Never mind....woke up the next morning to the angels eating all of the eggs.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

If heaven came in a box...I think it would resemble something like this:










HAHA Can't wait to get it hooked up! I've gotta fill my C02 tank though  Weekend project!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Finally got my C02 system connected yesterday and love it already! Can't wait for the growth to come back in. Now comes the patience...:icon_mad:


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Here's an updated tank shot.










The java fern has exploded on that piece of driftwood. I don't even know where to begin with it on trimming. I picked up some vals that I have in the back right. Going to let those grow in a bit then hopefully get rid of the amazon swords to allow more swimming room.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

I didn't really like the layout of the new tank setup so I re-arranged it a little bit. I think it opened the tank up a bit more because that java fern was covering from front to back so it cut the fish off from swimming past it and all. I added a smaller piece of driftwood at the base of the other piece and have a couple of anubias to it to begin growing at the base. Here's what it looks like now:










I also turned in 2 SAE's and 2 of my ballon belly boesemani's as I didn't care for them that much. When I was at my LFS I noticed they had a full grown adult male Boesemani so I picked him up.



















Here he is acclimated in the tank with my other male:










Why is it that my original Boesemani is dark orange but all others I've ever seen are more of a yellowish color?

**Sorry for the crappy phone pics. I'll get some better picture up this week with my DSLR.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Well I lost the new boesemani today. Went to work and he was fine then came home and he was upside down. i tested my water and everything was good on that side. I noticed that when I got him home after purchasing he was pretty pale and a couple of his scales didn't look good. I turned on my UV sterilizer to help kill anything that would possibly become water born as I do this any time I ever add any fish to my tank as I do not have a quarantine tank. I'm guessing he was sickly when I purchased him and he just didn't make it. Luckily I got my money back yesterday from my LFS but wish the little guy would've survived.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Growth has started to occur after I re-arranged the tank last month.



















I also picked up some Glosso from my lfs as I had a bunch of store credit to use up to see if I could grow it in my 90 or not. So far it's already started to grow so I'm thinking about pulling out the dwarf sag and letting this fill in. Any comments on the glosso is greatly appreciated as I've never grown it before. The growth looks good but the plants are yellowing a little bit. Iron deficiency?


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## rustbucket (Oct 15, 2011)

Lovely tank, I love the plant covered driftwood, wish I could get mine covered like that.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

rustbucket said:


> Lovely tank, I love the plant covered driftwood, wish I could get mine covered like that.


Thanks! I started off with just a few pieces of java fern and it's been about a year now and it has turned into this. It's definitely a slow grower that's for sure! It is need of a major trim but have not looked into how to properly trim it yet.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

One of my albino cories is laying eggs all over the tank right now. Scooped up as many as I could and put them in a breeding net before they get eaten. We'll see if I can raise these little guys.


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## alipper (Nov 6, 2012)

Really like the setup. What kind of vals are those?


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

alipper said:


> Really like the setup. What kind of vals are those?


Thanks! It is Jungle Val.


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## ChadRamsey (Nov 3, 2011)

looks nice. I just love that Fern "bush"


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

ChadRamsey said:


> looks nice. I just love that Fern "bush"


HAHA I agree. The only problem is it is taking over the entire right side of my tank. It touches the back glass and the front glass. I keep saying I'm going to trim it but am afraid I'm going to jack it all up.


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## Kathyy (Feb 22, 2010)

It is neat looking! I hope to have a smaller scaled one in my tank but the fern is currently trying to escape, rhizomes are crawling off the top of the wood.

How about starting by taking out the damaged and too long fronds? You would have to pinch them out with your fingers, no way you could get scissors in there and snip the right frond! I do that with the massive Narrow Leafed JF in my tank and it really helps.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Kathyy said:


> It is neat looking! I hope to have a smaller scaled one in my tank but the fern is currently trying to escape, rhizomes are crawling off the top of the wood.
> 
> How about starting by taking out the damaged and too long fronds? You would have to pinch them out with your fingers, no way you could get scissors in there and snip the right frond! I do that with the massive Narrow Leafed JF in my tank and it really helps.


Why thank you Kathyy! I love your tank setup! I've been wanting to do a different hardscape setup but I am possibly moving here within the next 6 months or so and don't know if I'm going to be able to haul my tanks with me or not yet. :icon_cry:

I have been slowly pulling out as many dead leaves as I could during water changes but haven't pulled any of the healthy ones. So all you do is just pop off the very large leaves or would it be better to trim them with scissors if at all possible? Thanks for the help!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

So my wife and I will be moving in February and I have permission to redo the tank's hardscape. Any ideas on what I should do? I'm trying to get the planning portion done.


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## BoxxerBoyDrew (Oct 16, 2005)

Any updates on the tank with the new scape???

Are you going to be able to take the tanks with you when you move?

Drew


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

BoxxerBoyDrew said:


> Any updates on the tank with the new scape???
> 
> Are you going to be able to take the tanks with you when you move?
> 
> Drew


I haven't had a chance to redo anything. Don't know how I want to do it yet. The move and a baby on the way have been taking up all of my free time right now.

Both tanks are here in the house and up and running. Well, I should say all 4 of my tanks are up and running haha. I only advertise 2 of them.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

So here's how my tank currently looks:










All of the plants are in the buckets to the left of the tank. Gonna try and get them back in today to prevent any melting from sitting in there.

Whisker Shrimp:


















Albino Bristlenose Plecos:


















Baby Cories:









I'll get some pics up once I get everything re-planted!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Updated tank shot. I took this back when the water was still a little cloudy from setting it up but I never uploaded it.


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## BoxxerBoyDrew (Oct 16, 2005)

Great to see it back up and planted! The Rainbows are looking good too!

Can't wait to see it progress!
Drew


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

BoxxerBoyDrew said:


> Great to see it back up and planted! The Rainbows are looking good too!
> 
> Can't wait to see it progress!
> Drew


Thanks again Boxxer! Had to turn in the black angel today due to her constant breeding and attacking my wife's other angel. I'll be going through all of the fish that are in there and determining if I can get some higher quality Boesemani's and trade in the other ones. I'll keep it updated. It's been busy as my wife delivered our little girl last Wednesday!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

This has been my latest project:










She was born on February 27 at 1:31. Tanks are on the back burner for a little while haha.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Found my new hardscape finally! I had to get the wife's approval before I plunged the money into it with the new little one and all. I'll be heading back over there tomorrow to pick it up! Once I get some free time I'll get it all in there.


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## Tetranerd (Oct 26, 2012)

*Re: 90 Gallon Scape [56K]*



JEden8 said:


> This has been my latest project:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Congratulations! She's beautiful!

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2


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## Lil' Swimz$ (Jul 24, 2010)

Tank looks great, I love the wood piece, and your daughter is adorable!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Tetranerd said:


> Congratulations! She's beautiful!
> 
> Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2





Lil' Swimz$ said:


> Tank looks great, I love the wood piece, and your daughter is adorable!


Thanks Tetranerd and Lil' Swimz$! She will be into planted tanks in a few years :hihi: HAHA.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Went and picked up the new hardscape today. Here's an idea of what the layout will look like:


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## Michael T (Jan 1, 2013)

Congrats on the baby girl.

Digging the new hardscape, that wood will look awesome placed like that. Any plans on introducing any new species of plants?


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Michael T said:


> Congrats on the baby girl.
> 
> Digging the new hardscape, that wood will look awesome placed like that. Any plans on introducing any new species of plants?


Thanks again Michael!

As of right now the plan is to add some Hygrophila Corymbosa in the back left behind the larger piece of driftwood. The back right corner will be Cabomba. I'm debating on if I want to go red or green...Undecided at the moment. Open to opinions! To the right of the larger driftwood piece will be Amazon Sword. I'm trying to find a sword plant that has narrower leaves but haven't been able to find anything. Anyone have any ideas? In between the two right pieces, more on the right hand side, I'm thinking something like Anubias Nana Petite or something that has a similar leaf. And finally, in between the rocks I was thinking of re-using the crypts. Don't know 100% on that yet but we will see how it looks. Planning on getting some work done on it tomorrow.

Edit:
I'll be having a bunch more Java Fern for sale hopefully sometime next week just to give a heads up!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Well here's what I did today:










It's a rough draft for now. I pulled all of the plants from the tank and are up for sale in the For Sale Thread if anyone is interested. I still am trying to figure out the plants that I want to keep and what I want to add so it'll be a work in progress for the next couple of weeks. Hoping to get some good input from everyone!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Alright I got some new plants today and got it all planted and re-organized what was in there already. Looking for comments and suggestions.

*Flora:*
Java Fern
Amazon Sword
Multiple Crypts
Anubias
Glosso
Java Fern 'Windlov'
Hygrophila

Front View:









Left Side:









Right Side:









Angle Shots:


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

So I was doing some searching around about rainbowfish as I would like to get a few more Boesemani's or possibly some other types. I was looking to find some natural inhabitants of their natural habitat when I came across the Melanotaenia Ajamaruensis. It looks exactly like a Boesemani but has deeper colors. I've always wondered why I could never find male Boesemani's that looked like the larger one in my tank and this explains why. Anyone have any idea where I can get these?


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## Michael T (Jan 1, 2013)

Looking good. New hardscape has a real natural look to it.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Michael T said:


> Looking good. New hardscape has a real natural look to it.


Thanks Michael! 2 of the pieces have openings in them so I kept getting air pockets when I was trying to sink them. Took me a little while but I got them down. Just waiting on the plants to grow in now.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

I just reduced all of my pricing of my Java Fern from this tank to get it gone! I need it gone ASAP!

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=277954&highlight=


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Quick update on the tank. I picked up 4 new Boesemani's but unfortunately I lost two of them already when they were being quarantined. One was perfectly healthy but the other three had some issues going on with their gills. I also unfortunately lost the angel fish to the lip fibroma disease it had going on. Here's a quick snapshot of the tank:



The Glosso is slowly starting to fill in. Not as fast as I was anticipating it would. It's been a slow progress so far. I think I'm in need of some new bulbs.


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## Digital (Apr 4, 2008)

Tank looks great man, and congrats on the new baby girl!

Your tank has gone thru so many changes! I would suggest getting some turquoise rainbows, to add some deep blue color to the tank. I just recently added rainbows to my 90g also. You have at least one female in there right? As you probably know the males show colors better when there is at least one female in the mix of things.

The baby plecos were and are extra cool, especially to have a spawn in your tank like that. If you are looking to get more angels I'd look to aquabid.com or even ebay, as some good breeders can be found there that are relatively local, (US based).

That java fern you grew out was amazing! Your plants seem to do quite well. I bet it's the co2 and the good lighting. I could never get my ferns to grow that much in the period of time you showed in the pics. My tank is low tech though, so there you have it. 

You weren't using Prime all the time to remove the chloramine? I just buy a big bottle of it off ebay for around 58$ shipped, and I'm good for a couple years, for my 90g and my 125g.

One more thing, the wood addition was and is a great addition to an already great setup. Keep on growing those plants, and fish!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Digital said:


> Tank looks great man, and congrats on the new baby girl!
> 
> Your tank has gone thru so many changes! I would suggest getting some turquoise rainbows, to add some deep blue color to the tank. I just recently added rainbows to my 90g also. You have at least one female in there right? As you probably know the males show colors better when there is at least one female in the mix of things.
> 
> ...


Thanks Digital! Yes I do have 2 females in the tank to help the males show some better colors. There's another batch of about 30 pleco fry in their right now that the male is protecting in the driftwood. No more angels for me. They were my wife's fish and I didn't think they fit the tank well. I was pretty surprised actually as well with how large that java fern got in there. I'm now back down to the same amount I started with before so we will see what happens. I always use Prime to treat my water. Just need to add extra of it every now and again. Oh and the turquoise rainbows are also one that I'm thinking about adding. We shall see what happens. I want to get the tank finished how I want it before I do anything else with some new fish.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Well here's an updated shot of the tank:



The glosso is starting to fill in really well so I'm excited about that! I'm not liking the background plants at the moment. Looking for some ideas on what I should use particularly for both of the back corners.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Nothing major has changed with the tank. Took out the Hygro in the back left and added some Jungle Val instead. I'm battling now a really bad case of detritus below my glosso and starting to cover my plants after my vacation. I also added 10 Pristella Tetras and love them so far!

Here's a tank shot:


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## Meganne (Sep 3, 2012)

wOw!, that has turned out really nicely! beautiful!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Meganne said:


> wOw!, that has turned out really nicely! beautiful!


Thanks Meganne!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Well I'm starting to look into changing my tank over to a Discus setup. Looking for any helpful advice with this transition. I started the questions up over here:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=405705&highlight=

Feel free to post in there or on here for any guidance on this. I just want to do it all right the first time and not have to constantly go back and change things up. Thanks!


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

This is really looking nice with the foreground filling in. Not sure how the glosso will like the higher discus temps. 

I am a fan of backgrounds and think this tank would benefit IMO.

Looking forward to the evolution!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

tomfromstlouis said:


> This is really looking nice with the foreground filling in. Not sure how the glosso will like the higher discus temps.
> 
> I am a fan of backgrounds and think this tank would benefit IMO.
> 
> Looking forward to the evolution!


Thanks tom! The discus idea is on hold as my dog tore her acl so we have to take her in for surgery which isn't cheap. So needless to say, my discus funds got depleted quickly!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Just purchased another LED+ fixture for the tank today. Put it up just a few minutes ago and it looks a lot brighter! Hopefully my glosso fills back in now. I'll post pictures up as soon as I get a chance!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

So I'm a little overdue for the pics with the second LED+. Here's some updated tank shots:







Sorry for the low quality. I'll get some with my camera when I get some free time for some better pics.

The glosso is starting to fill back in. I've added some cabomba and some dwarf hair grass in there as well to help fill in the gaps and to blend the different plants. Thinking about taking out the amazon sword but don't know what to put in it's place or let the crypts fill in. Also thinking about taking out the large anubia on the driftwood on the left.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Cleaned up the tank a bit today and re-arranged some of the plants. I also leveled off the front of the substrate and sloped it towards the back. Removed the java fern and moved the large anubia so it grows with the driftwood instead of straight out. All of my plant trimmings are up for sale in the sale section if anyone is interested.

Here's how it looks right now. Once the tank clears up a bit I'll get some better pics up.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Been a while since I last updated. Water is a little murky from messing with the plants.


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## 1987 (Jan 27, 2007)

Can't wait for my rainbows to get that big. All they do is fight  Great looking tank!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

1987 said:


> Can't wait for my rainbows to get that big. All they do is fight  Great looking tank!


Thanks! It seems like it takes them forever to get big. 2 of mine still have a little more growing to do.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

So I just purchased my 3rd LED+ so we will see how the growth does with it. Just put it up a couple of hours ago. Really brightens the tank up!

Have a lot of work to do yet in the tank. Have to trim the plants up in the back right and want to re-arrange some plants. Also want to get some new red plants now that I have more light. Any recommendations?



Sorry for the crappy cell phone pic.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Hey, you're local! Any chance you go to TBAS meetings? I'm planning on hitting my first one on the 14th...


Tank's coming along! How about a C. wendtii 'bronze' and a red lotus? I'd recommend Ludwigia repens, but that plant hates me so I'm boycotting it (LOL)


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

lauraleellbp said:


> Hey, you're local! Any chance you go to TBAS meetings? I'm planning on hitting my first one on the 14th...
> 
> 
> Tank's coming along! How about a C. wendtii 'bronze' and a red lotus? I'd recommend Ludwigia repens, but that plant hates me so I'm boycotting it (LOL)



I am local! I have not gone to them. You're talking about the ones at the Florida Aquarium correct? I've thought about going to one to see what it's like but just haven't had time to and always forget about them. What time is it at on the 14th?

Thank! I'm still learning everything. Been going at it for a few year as but I still haven't gotten the wealth of knowledge to create the depth of the tank with plants of all. I will look into those for sure. I was at Marine Warehouse tonight since they were out of cherry shrimp and needed some but they didn't have any red plants that looked good. Figure I'll take a look again when I bring them more shrimp this weekend. I'm definitely going to look at your recommendations though. Thanks again!


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Apparently they're now meeting at the Civic Center in Riverview: http://www.tbas1.com/TBASpages/meetings.html

If you decide to come, shoot me a PM? :icon_mrgr


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## Crazy4discus (Jan 30, 2014)

Very nice setup! Love the colors on your bosemani!!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

lauraleellbp said:


> Apparently they're now meeting at the Civic Center in Riverview: http://www.tbas1.com/TBASpages/meetings.html
> 
> If you decide to come, shoot me a PM? :icon_mrgr


Oh dang that's a hike! Probably not going to make this one to be honest. You will have to fill me in on how it was! Unfortunately that's the time we get the little one ready for bed. I'm sure I'll hit one up eventually. Just a matter of finding the right day to go. 



Crazy4discus said:


> Very nice setup! Love the colors on your bosemani!!


Thanks Crazy! Next step is to try and breed them.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Well after months of the tank being neglected except the water changes and the occasional trimmings, it's easy to say that my tank is overgrown and in need of a clean up. Since my last update I've disconnected my C02 with all of the issues I've been having with the tank just randomly dumping and my daughter always by the tank and opening the doors to grab food for her fish tank I just didn't want to risk it with her. Growth obviously has been subpar with what I'm used to. The crypts have completely overtaken the right side of the tank and my annubias have taken over the driftwood on the right side completely covering all of the light that comes in on that side making the plants die off below it. I plan on trimming most of that out and depending on their condition offer them up for sale here in the next couple of weeks along with the crypts and any other plants I decide to pull out.

With this next rescape I'm thinking of going with all low maintenance plants. Was thinking either DHG in the front or dwarf sag. I like the idea of DHG but don't know how much luck I will have without C02. I'm still running my 3 LED+'s so there is definitely plenty of light but I'm wondering if it will spread well without C02. I've read mixed reviews and the times that I have tried it without C02 it didn't seem to grow well but it could've been because the other plants have taken over the top portion of the tank so much. I can't figure out what other plants to go with for the back portion of the tank. Thinking maybe some bushy plants? Don't know 100% but am hoping to get some suggestions from you all.

Also, my substrate is pretty old. Is it typical to change out the substrate? I know it will cause the tank to go into a cycle again and all and don't have the space to house any of the fish from the tank so if it is I'm kinda stuck. What I was thinking was possibly removing half of the substrate and replacing it with fresh. Drain the tank down saving 50-60% of the water and cleaning the substrate well with the remaining water then refill. Just curious if I should do this or for any advice on it.


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## Kathyy (Feb 22, 2010)

Unless you have a dirt or kitty litter type substrate that has gone muddy or broken up you never have to replace substrate. They are all rocks of some sort after all. Put in some root tabs after you go through it with the siphon and done. I did go through the substrate a couple times with fish in tank and it was quite a job, did 1/3 at a time after uprooting all plants and hardscape. I did it because I couldn't poke my finger through it down to the bottom glass. There was some sort of fungal/algal growth in there that was extremely satisfying to suck out of the substrate. I had been battling cyano, perhaps it had gone underground??? 

Since all that rooting around the substrate will make a huge mess it is probably better to take fish out of the tank so you can drain the cleaned out tank down to the substrate which amounts to a rinse of the surface and refill carefully. That makes for a fairly clean water column right away. Hoping the filter will clear murky water has resulted in pretty bad algae outbreaks in the past for me. I hate catching fish with a passion but it is better than trying to knock debris off plants so it goes into the filter and then having to rinse media over and over again. So far a minor amount of ammonia can be detected for a couple days after doing all this but my fish have been fine for a week so far in a big rubbermaid type tub with heater and my HOB quarantine filter on it loaded with a spare prefilter sponge. Remember you are going to be stuffing most of your plants back into the tank and the filter should be just fine as well.

I didn't buy much hairgrass this time around [getting my tank back into shape after months of neglect as well] and just planted it around the bottom of the rocks. Mine will spread quick enough as I am using CO2 but it looked really nice right off the bat. Maybe treat DHG, dwf sag or Marsilea or even C. parva that way. Instead of looking for a solid carpet be happy that eventually it develops is what I am planning here.


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## NJAquaBarren (Sep 16, 2009)

After a while substrate is full of detritus that isn't easily removed...hundreds of snail shells, dead roots... Ada replaces their Aquasoil in their tanks annually. 

Last redo I skimmed the top half of the substrate out and replaced it with new layer. Looked nice when done.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Kathyy said:


> Unless you have a dirt or kitty litter type substrate that has gone muddy or broken up you never have to replace substrate. They are all rocks of some sort after all. Put in some root tabs after you go through it with the siphon and done.


That's what I have been doing for the last few years. The substrate is starting to look more grey than black so that's why I was thinking about mixing in some fresh substrate with it. That way it doesn't cause a big cycle.



Kathyy said:


> Since all that rooting around the substrate will make a huge mess it is probably better to take fish out of the tank so you can drain the cleaned out tank down to the substrate which amounts to a rinse of the surface and refill carefully. That makes for a fairly clean water column right away. Hoping the filter will clear murky water has resulted in pretty bad algae outbreaks in the past for me.


That's my plan at least. Drain the tank almost completely and remove some of the substrate and cap it with fresh. Or just thoroughly clean some of it and cap it off with that.



NJAquaBarren said:


> After a while substrate is full of detritus that isn't easily removed...hundreds of snail shells, dead roots... Ada replaces their Aquasoil in their tanks annually.
> 
> Last redo I skimmed the top half of the substrate out and replaced it with new layer. Looked nice when done.


And detritus it is full of! I'm starting to get the greenish/reddish color forming in the front of the glass so I'm thinking of cutting out a little bit of the substrate as well. Good to hear that it turned out well for ya! How long did it last for? As in did it all end up mixing in after a little while and ended up looking the same after a couple of months?


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

So I'm going to be redoing the tank next weekend sometime. The plan is to stick with the current layout of how the driftwood is but adding a few more rocks and creating more of an elevation difference of substrate where the front portion is lower. In doing that I would put DHG in the front sections, have some crypts, trim the Anubia way back on the left side and have the Jungle Val completely fill in the back portion of the tank.

Option 2:


I would do the same concept of different elevation but flip the left side driftwood upside down and fill the back left with more substrate to fill in the emptiness of the wood to make it look more like a stump. My concerns with doing this is the amount of detritus and all other debris that might build up underneath this section as the substrate would have to be fairly thick in the back left corner to make this appear to be coming out of the substrate.

Any opinions on either option? Or would you do something else?


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Alright so I finally got the driftwood in there. I still have to do the right side. Have a couple more rocks to put in there. Don't think all of the driftwood will be going back in there though. Just didn't flow well. Once I get the other rocks in then ill begging planting. Hopefully get some time today/tonight to get it all done. Here's how it looks though at the moment. 










Definitely love this layout better than any other tank I've done. I also painted the back of the tank since it was drained and I could actually move the tank out.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Small update. Here's where it's at currently. Any input is appreciated!


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

what's the substrate? I think this will look nice as it grows in


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

HybridHerp said:


> what's the substrate? I think this will look nice as it grows in



It's Eco Complete in there. I had to put an extra bag in there so that's why there's a color difference on the right side. I didn't realize I needed more till I finished the left side. Hopefully I can get to the store tomorrow to finish it up. Also needed more rock so the rock on the right is new but the rock on the left has been in for about 2 years so it should darken up over time hopefully. 

Thanks. I'm hoping it fills in like I'm picturing it.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

My wife wasn't happy with how the tank looked so I went out and bought some more plants. Can't take any credit for the layout as my wife has the artistic eye but here is how it looks now.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Just changed the photoperiod for the tank. I have two of my LED+'s on for 9 hours and a third is in for 4 hours for a mid day burst. I changed it up as I was starting to get algae with the new plants and changed fertilizer schedule.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Tank update:

Built a new stand:































































Stand is about 6" taller than the previous stand. Makes it easier for me to enjoy the tank so undone have to bend over just to look in it. Haven't had time to make the doors yet but they will be done soon. 

Still playing around with the lights. Was thinking about selling my LEDs but I'm going to give it a couple of more months to tweek the lighting and see if I can get everything back. Plants haven't responded well to the lower light and photoperiod.


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

Now it's really looking nice with that new stand and some improved clarity in the tank!

Love the Rena XP3/4 too. My favorite filter. I have one running on my 90 right now with a sun sun. I used to hate the blue intake though so I'd always sand it a bit to rough it up and spray paint them black with Krylon Fusion to make them black


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## BigJay180 (Jul 20, 2014)

You have some really gorgeous males in there! The one with the reddish/orange tail is absolutely fantastic, one of the best I've seen.

I went with a mixed rainbow tank, I absolutely love the fish. They are as attractive as most saltwater species IMO.


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Mikeygmzmg said:


> Now it's really looking nice with that new stand and some improved clarity in the tank!
> 
> Love the Rena XP3/4 too. My favorite filter. I have one running on my 90 right now with a sun sun. I used to hate the blue intake though so I'd always sand it a bit to rough it up and spray paint them black with Krylon Fusion to make them black



Thanks Mikey! I'm a fan of the Rena filters as well. Looking to add a second one...Just hard to come up with the extra cash for one. So many things I want to do but it all comes down to time/cash unfortunately. I know we all are that way. 

I've been wanting to get rid of the blue myself. Any chipping issues with the spray paint?



BigJay180 said:


> You have some really gorgeous males in there! The one with the reddish/orange tail is absolutely fantastic, one of the best I've seen.
> 
> I went with a mixed rainbow tank, I absolutely love the fish. They are as attractive as most saltwater species IMO.


Thank you Jay! I miss the original Boesemani's I had that were all like that one male. Couple of years ago I did a water change no different than any other time and all of the others went belly up. That was how I learned about how Tampa adds extra chloramine at different times of the year to the tap water. I agree with you on the attractiveness as saltwater species!


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## BigJay180 (Jul 20, 2014)

Thanks for your comments on mine too Jeden!

I have a question: I notice you're running a surface extractor on your canister. 

Do those work well? What brand is it? I notice a slight film on my water after a week or so...


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

Yeah 2 Renas = perfect filtration.

No chipping, so long as you get a 100 grid sand paper and scuff it up good before your spray it. Also, I had good luck with 2-3 coats. Make sure the coats are nice and light not too much paint all at once. 

Great looking tank.


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## Soxfandowd (Aug 1, 2014)

Thought I would pick your brain on the Rainbows. Do you have any tricks to tell Males and Females apart when they are younger? My LFS had a bunch of the different species but as they were all young I and they could not tell which was which. I would love to get some breeding pairs going. Thanks!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

BigJay180 said:


> Thanks for your comments on mine too Jeden!
> 
> I have a question: I notice you're running a surface extractor on your canister.
> 
> Do those work well? What brand is it? I notice a slight film on my water after a week or so...


Have to give you props for your tank! Definitely well deserved!

The surface skimmer I have is the TOM Surface Skimmer that you can find on Amazon. It came with the tank originally so it wasn't anything I purchased. It does a good job with keeping the surface clear that's for sure. However, it does have it's faults. It sinks down every now and again so I have to pull it back up. Also, any plants or leaves that may get sucked into it before I can get to them goes into the filter and clogs it. As long as you stay on top of it then you are good. I also keep it at a low flow so that it is also pulling water from the water column and not just the surface. The other downfall is that it is bulky. Not a very attractive piece in there but keeps the surface nice and clear.



Mikeygmzmg said:


> Yeah 2 Renas = perfect filtration.
> 
> No chipping, so long as you get a 100 grid sand paper and scuff it up good before your spray it. Also, I had good luck with 2-3 coats. Make sure the coats are nice and light not too much paint all at once.
> 
> Great looking tank.


I just found another one that someone is selling locally so I might go pick it up this weekend. If I do, then I'll use that to also connect my UV sterilizer back up and run a t-valve to control the GPH that runs through it.

Thanks for the tips! Once the doors are done on the stand then I'm going to get that done! How long should it dry before adding it to the aquairum?



Soxfandowd said:


> Thought I would pick your brain on the Rainbows. Do you have any tricks to tell Males and Females apart when they are younger? My LFS had a bunch of the different species but as they were all young I and they could not tell which was which. I would love to get some breeding pairs going. Thanks!


As far as determining males and females is simply their coloration. All of the boesmani's that I have purchased were at least 2" long. The males show a more defined orange coloration on their back half. The females are more of a dull color. Depending on your LFS, if it's one of the "big box stores", is that I've never seen males at any of the stores. Typically you'd want to find a store that is solely aquarium supplies if you are looking for males. That is just my experience here in the Tampa area.

As far as breeding goes, I just had my first go at this and it was all by accident believe it or not. I moved some plants over to my 27 gallon cherry shrimp tank and all of a sudden fish appeared. I started off with noticing about 8 of them and am down to 4 now without feeding them at all. Now my cherry shrimp population has severely diminished but I'll take more Boesmani's and just let my cherry's replenish on their own. There are several ways from what I've read online about breeding them and a lot of people utilize a mop head with rainbows. I've never intentionally bred any of my fish but just let nature take it's course in the tank. Still have 6 emerald cories that were born and raised in that tank and have gone through at least 100 albino bristlenose plecos. Give the fish the right water parameters, a healthy diet and a happy home and nature will take it's course.

I hope some of this information helps!


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## Soxfandowd (Aug 1, 2014)

As far as determining males and females is simply their coloration. All of the boesmani's that I have purchased were at least 2" long. The males show a more defined orange coloration on their back half. The females are more of a dull color. Depending on your LFS, if it's one of the "big box stores", is that I've never seen males at any of the stores. Typically you'd want to find a store that is solely aquarium supplies if you are looking for males. That is just my experience here in the Tampa area.


Thanks JEden! I went two days in a row to my LFS. The first day they had just come in the night before. The second day they had been in the tank for a couple of days and their color was more pronounced. I'm thinking maybe due to the stress of the move? I was thinking that I'd look at them again in a couple of days. I only have a 40B so I don't want 2 males for sure. Although, I wouldn't mind 1 male and 2 females.....


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