# South American River Bottom (Sort of) - 38 Gallon



## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

Hello all,



Getting back into the fishkeeping hobby after four years off, and trying a real planted tank for the first time. This is my journal for my 38-gallon low-tech planted aquarium that will eventually be home to fish as well. Here are the specifications, which I'll update as things change:



*Aquarium dimensions:* 38 gallons, 36"x12"x19"

*Filter:* Rena XP3 canister

*Filter media:* Eheim Substrat Pro, API Biostars

*In/Outflows:* CalAqua lily pipes

*Heater:* Hydor 200-watt inline, Finnex controller

*Lighting: *Finnex Planted+ 24/7[/B]

*Substrate:* 2" FloraMax capped with 1-2" National Geographic white sand

*Hardscape:* Malaysian driftwood, a few river rocks



*Plants:* 

Anubias Nana

Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus), regular and 'windelov'

Java moss

Cryptocoryne spiralis

Cryptocoryne parva 

Ludwigia repens

Ludwigia arcuata

Anubias nana 'petite'

Bucephalandra sp. (several different varieties)

Ludwigia sp. 'red'

Ludwigia sp. 'Atlantis'

Ludwigia lacustris

Rotala colorata

Rotala 'hr'a'

Alternanthera reineckii 'mini'

Staurogyne repens



[STRIKE]Wisteria[/STRIKE]

[STRIKE]Chainsword Narrow Leaf (Echinodorus tenellus)[/STRIKE] 

[STRIKE]Balansae Plant (Cryptocoryne crispatula)[/STRIKE]

[STRIKE]Undulata Cryptocoryne (Cryptocoryne wendtii) [/STRIKE]

[STRIKE]Rotala indica [/STRIKE]

[STRIKE]Micro Sword (Lilaeopsis novae-zelandiae)[/STRIKE]

[STRIKE]Ozelot Sword (Echinodorus ozelot) 

Chilensis (Sagittaria platyphylla) [/STRIKE]

[STRIKE]Amazon Sword Plant - Bare Root (1) 

Myrio Green (Myriophyllum pinnatum)

Moneywort (Bacopa monnieri)[/STRIKE]

[STRIKE]Banana plants (Nymphoides aquatica)[/STRIKE]

[STRIKE]Cladophora aegagropila[/STRIKE]

[STRIKE]Blyxa japonica[/STRIKE]

[STRIKE]Willow moss[/STRIKE]



*Intended water parameters:* RO water, adding Seachem Equilibrium and Alkaline/Acid Buffers. pH range 6.5 - 7.0; KH 2 degrees; GH 6 degrees



*Ferts:* EI for low-tech (thanks NilocG for the dry ferts!), Seachem Flourish (stopped CSM+B), Osmocote+ root tabs, Flourish Excel (15mL daily)



*Livestock* Bolivian rams (6), Cardinal tetras (Paracheirodon axelrodi) (23), Nannostomus unifasciatus (13), Pygmy cories (Corydoras pygmaeus) (16), assassin snails (Clea helena)





Photos from first planting (09/03/2015):


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## beetea (Jan 27, 2012)

end3r.P said:


> *If anyone has thoughts on placement of the various plants, whether for aesthetics or health, let me know (for instance, do the "bunch" plants need to be planted with their stems all together in bunches as they are, or should they be spread out? And have I planted anything that needs to instead be affixed to driftwood, like the java fern, or vice versa?)*.


I would split up the bunched plants for planting. It gives them more room and light to grow. I typically plant them in small groups of 3-5 stems/nodes. For something like Lilaeopsis, dividing it up into smaller groups will also encourage growth.

The anubias and java fern should be the only ones you need to affix to wood/rocks. Make sure their rhizomes are above the substrate.

Oh, and also remove the steel wool, if any, that the potted plants were grown in.


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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

FloraMax does not give any nutrients to the plants. It does have a good CEC value.
When the water is saturated/w nutrients it will absorb them and release them when
they get lower in the water. Shut off from the water by sand cancels that out more or
less till you add root tabs into it. Or Osmocote+ capsules. This will supply the FloraMax
with something to absorb and release. CEC is of hardly any purpose in tanks/w EI
regular daily dosing, but in a tank that gets ferts once a week or twice perhaps, it
evens out the fert level in there so the ferts are not so thin towards the next time they are dosed.
Depending on the type of sub etc, I have better luck using curved tweezers to plant stems/w. I hold them so the curved part faces up and grasp the tip of the bottom of the stem and pull them down into the sub.
I have a limited amount of plants in my tanks and I use a slightly modified version of the EI.
I just dose the macros once a week, but since the micros are said not to last as long, twice a week on them.
Remember that EI requires a 50% or more water change each week to prevent any build up.
But if any deficiencies are seen, then you can always increase the dosing to two times a week on the macros.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

beetea said:


> I would split up the bunched plants for planting. It gives them more room and light to grow. I typically plant them in small groups of 3-5 stems/nodes. For something like Lilaeopsis, dividing it up into smaller groups will also encourage growth.


Thought so. I will split up the bunches tonight. 



beetea said:


> The anubias and java fern should be the only ones you need to affix to wood/rocks. Make sure their rhizomes are above the substrate.


Okay. I don't think I planted any anubias, although I'm not sure what the broadleaf plants in the middle background are (fourth photo from top).



beetea said:


> Oh, and also remove the steel wool, if any, that the potted plants were grown in.


 Done -- I couldn't quite extricate all of it. Hopefully the tiny remaining bits aren't a big deal.



Raymond S. said:


> FloraMax does not give any nutrients to the plants. It does have a good CEC value.
> When the water is saturated/w nutrients it will absorb them and release them when
> they get lower in the water. Shut off from the water by sand cancels that out more or
> less till you add root tabs into it. Or Osmocote+ capsules. This will supply the FloraMax
> with something to absorb and release.


Very good to know. I plan to add Osmocote+ capsules; they're supposed to be delivered next week.

Also good to know that there's basically no good reason to have done both floramax and sand... oh well. I expect more and more floramax will rise to the top (or rather, sand will settle to the bottom) as I replant and mess around in the tank, so there will be some CEC effect with respect to the water-column ferts.



Raymond S. said:


> I have a limited amount of plants in my tanks and I use a slightly modified version of the EI.
> I just dose the macros once a week, but since the micros are said not to last as long, twice a week on them.
> Remember that EI requires a 50% or more water change each week to prevent any build up.
> But if any deficiencies are seen, then you can always increase the dosing to two times a week on the macros.


Thanks. So I can calculate the EI dosage for my tank volume but do a 1/3 to a 1/2 of the recommended dosage?


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## beetea (Jan 27, 2012)

end3r.P said:


> Okay. I don't think I planted any anubias, although I'm not sure what the broadleaf plants in the middle background are (fourth photo from top).


That looks like a sword so I think you're ok.




end3r.P said:


> Done -- I couldn't quite extricate all of it. Hopefully the tiny remaining bits aren't a big deal.


I end up leaving bits in here and there as well and haven't had problems so I think you're OK. And correcting myself here: I think it's actually called stone/rock wool and not steel wool (that's what one would using to clean cookware )


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

I tinkered a little with plant placement -- spreading out some of the bunched plants, etc. I also added a couple "Windelov" java ferns and some more Anubias nana to the driftwood. Still very much a work in progress... my plan is to see what grows well (i.e., doesn't die) in the next few weeks, and then I'll re-scape with my favorite plants that do well.

Waiting on ferts and osmocote+ capsules to arrive, probably early next week... hopefully everything will hang in there until then (I've used some API root tabs as a stopgap). Dosing Excel daily.

After a little more research, I also decided to swap out my lighting for the Finnex 24/7 LED fixture, partly for higher light, and partly for the 24/7 setting, which sounds pretty cool. The fixture will arrive by Wednesday of next week. With that and ferts in order by then, CO2 will be my limiting factor. I'm a little worried about algae with the higher PAR lighting and only dosing Excel, but maybe my relatively heavy plant load will help? We'll see what happens.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

Moved things around a little more -- I've got to try to resist scaping for a few days or these plants are never going to make it...


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

I just wasn't happy with the aesthetics of my tank, so I went out and found another nice piece of Malaysian driftwood (s/o to Premier Aquatics in Marietta, GA). I was going to replace the boring piece in my tank, but after moving things around, I realized I could repurpose it by flipping it over. Much happier with the look now.

I also generally re-scaped to fit the new look, and I added a few new species: 

-Java moss and willow moss on each piece of driftwood
-Ludwigia arcuata (back right), which I hope will grow into a tall-ish thicket
-"Banana plants" (Nymphoides aquatica) front right
-a moss ball (Chladophora aegagropila)

I'd like to add a bunch of tiny Anubias nana 'petite' to the driftwood, but I haven't seen any locally lately. I would also like to add some red/orange/purple with Ludwigia red, AR mini, and Ludwigia lacustris... but not sure where they would go at the moment. Thoughts welcome.

Also, I have removed the Myrio green (turned brown from bottom to top), Rotala indica (melted), and chain sword (yellowed slowly). Not sure whether these were casualties of my early lack of fertilization, low CO2, light, or too-frequent rescapes.

The tank is still cycling -- I had a big nitrite spike, so I did some water changes, and I added some "Seed" for the heck of it (I have serious doubts that it will help).

Comments/advice welcome.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

I'm getting a sprinkling of brown diatoms on the glass -- I recall I got them last time I was cycling too. Hopefully it will pass after I'm cycling. I'll scrape them off before I do the water changes at the end.

I also have my first inhabitant -- saw a tiny snail on the glass that must've hitchhiked with my latest batch of plants from the LFS. He may not survive since the tank's being cycled, but we'll see.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

Update time. 

Still cycling... stuck on the nitrite spike. I did a 50% water change last night, but still didn't lower nitrites to a point within the API test range. I may do another 50% change tonight.

On the plus side, I had a couple of new RO tanks and a new line installed, so I can do water changes much more efficiently (no more 1-man bucket brigades). I just add in Equilibrium or Replenish and buffers as it's filling. The only complication is that the tanks are in our crawl space, which will get a little chilly over the winter. I'm a little worried about the temperature swing's effect on the fish that will, someday, be in the tank.

As you can see from the attached photos, plant growth has been pretty good, especially the wisteria and moneywort. I also did a little rescaping.

Sadly, the new growth on the Ludwigia repens (in the middle) is green, so I'm left with no red plants in my tank. Trying to figure out what I might add that will stay red or reddish in these conditions. 

Finally, I have a bunch of anubias nana and petite (and a couple buce) coming in this week, which I'll affix to the driftwood.

Thoughts and comments welcome!


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

Lots of changes from the last update. I took advantage of TPT community and bought some new plants to add: more Anubias nana petite, Bucephalandra 'green wavy', AR mini, Ludwigia sp. red, 'Atlantis', and lacustris, Rotala colorata, and Blyxa japonica (thanks to klibs for the RAOK for the last two!). I also bought more Ludwigia arcuata. All are now in the tank. Eventually the L. arcuata will form a background, but that could take a while. I took out my remaining swords, which were doing fine but just never looked right in this tank (and the Amazon would have become far too large). I also took out the little banana plants, which were very cool but also just didn't fit in, and the chilensis, which was boring and not tall enough in the background.

After I was done planting, I capped off the white sand in front to make it cleaner looking -- just a thin layer on top of the floramax that had come up from my re-scapings.

The fishless cycle is also finished, and I've added cardinal tetras and an assassin snail. One tetra came in not doing well and didn't make it, but the other 19 seem lively and are coloring up nicely. (No photos of these yet.) I'll wait a little while and then add a group of corydoras pygmaeus, and then, eventually, 4 Bolivian rams.


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## AboveBeyond (Aug 31, 2015)

Very nice. It's looking better as time passes! The new driftwood placement is much better now.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

AboveBeyond said:


> Very nice. It's looking better as time passes! The new driftwood placement is much better now.



Thanks! I agree, adding the second piece and flipping the first helped a lot. 

Now I just have to wait and see how everything grows... AR mini is the main one I'm not sure about without CO2... we'll see.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

Added CalAqua lily pipes yesterday. Unfortunately, their suction cups are designed to stick to the back of the tank, but my tank back is spraypainted with a "rough" paint that the cups won't stick to... so I've jury-rigged them for now. If anyone has an idea for affixing these to the back of the tank, let me know...

The cardinal tetras seem to be doing well, and I've seen evidence of the assassin snail's appetite for my pond snails in the form of, well, you guessed it, empty pond snail shells. Photos coming soon.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

Not a whole lot to report since last update. I still have 18 healthy cardinal tetras, and they survived their first 50% WC (nitrates at 10ish after the change, so looking good there). I did bring home 5 more assassin snails, as the pond snail population has been booming of late. Hopefully these guys (and gals -- I found a couple mating yesterday) will take care of that. I'm seeing a little bit of BBA on anubias and maybe a little GSA on the glass, but that's probably due to skipping Excel for a few days while the tetras were acclimating. Hopefully it won't progress.

New photos attached -- ignore the floating B. japonica... I'll have to re-plant it .


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

A quick rundown on what's happened since my last update:

1. Added 10 more cardinal tetras.
2. Said tetras introduced ich.
3. Lost 15 tetras to ich and related stress. (Boo.)
4. Removed dying Bacopa monnieri, Blyxa japonica Cladophora aegagropila; removed Lilaeopsis novae-zelandiae (micro sword) that looked fine but wasn't growing and didn't fit the look I'm going for; added more Ludwigia sp. red and lacustris, R. colorata; added some Staurogyne repens (small amount to test whether it will grow well in this tank); added Salvinia minima and then removed most of it (I love how it looks, but too much shade).
5. Significant rescape, including replacing some of the sand up front and sloping back left for a cleaner look. It'll look better when it grows out a bit (especially the Rotala), but I'm pleased with it overall.

All is well at the moment. It's been about two weeks since I last saw ich and a couple days since my last dose of Seachem Paraguard. I'm going to wait another week, and if all is well, I'll order some more fish. (Nannostomus eques, Corydoras pygmaeus, maybe some more cardinal tetras from a new source, and Bolivian rams.)

Constructive criticism on the aquascape would be appreciated; always looking for ways to improve the look.

Attached are photos of pre- and post-rescape. Sorry the post-scape photos are a bit dark; I took it when the lighting was down (9pm or so) on the 24/7 light. I'll try to get a brightly lit photo soon, maybe once it's grown out a bit.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

Here's a slightly brighter FTS.


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## fishyfishy101 (Nov 12, 2014)

It looks nice! I think some bolivian rams will really make this tank! Did you get the lily pipes attached? I do think the back right corner looks bare, it's just a waiting game now. Post pics when it grows in.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

fishyfishy101 said:


> It looks nice! I think some bolivian rams will really make this tank! Did you get the lily pipes attached? I do think the back right corner looks bare, it's just a waiting game now. Post pics when it grows in.


Thanks!

I agree, the rams should look great in this tank -- I rescaped to create (1) space and possible spawning territories for the rams and (2) more open sand for the pygmy cories.

I did not get the pipes attached... they sit on some foam that they came packaged in. I don't know how I'm going to get them to stick to the back of the tank, which is too rough for the suction cups to suction to. I'd try something like duct tape, but I'm afraid it would pull off the paint. I may try painter's tape (tried it once, but I have a better idea for it).

Yes, the back corner had Bacopa monnieri, which looked great and grew well for a while, but then it slowly rotted as it got tall. There's Crypt. spiralis there now, which you can't see from the angle of the photo, and Rotala colorata in front of that. The Rotala will help as it grows, but I may end up adding something different to fill in that corner (suggestions welcome) and then move the spiralis behind the driftwood (and condense the L. arcuata to the middle-right).


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## fishyfishy101 (Nov 12, 2014)

end3r.P said:


> fishyfishy101 said:
> 
> 
> > It looks nice! I think some bolivian rams will really make this tank! Did you get the lily pipes attached? I do think the back right corner looks bare, it's just a waiting game now. Post pics when it grows in.
> ...


I've heard of people gluing a magnet to the suction cup, and then putting another magnet on the other side of the glass. Never tried it myself, but it sounds like it would work?


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## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

Sorry to hear about the tetras. IMO, they're not as easy to keep as they seem.

I like the plant selection. I think there needs to be a LOT more stems though as the far left and back middle look kind of sparse. The front/middle looks very good since it's more densely packed. I like that part the best!

Adding some variety of stones in the front where the wood meets the sand would help it look more natural. It looks very clean at the moment.

The red plants look really red, so that's awesome.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

fishyfishy101 said:


> I've heard of people gluing a magnet to the suction cup, and then putting another magnet on the other side of the glass. Never tried it myself, but it sounds like it would work?


I like it! I'll try that and report back.

Bump:


bereninga said:


> Sorry to hear about the tetras. IMO, they're not as easy to keep as they seem.
> 
> I like the plant selection. I think there needs to be a LOT more stems though as the far left and back middle look kind of sparse. The front/middle looks very good since it's more densely packed. I like that part the best!
> 
> ...


I agree with all of this. There are stems of L. lacustris growing out in the middle, they're just too low to see right now in the photo. On my next trim, I may also add some of the R. colorata to that area. As for the left, still thinking on what to add/change there. As I said, I might shift the C. spiralis to the right and add something new to the back left corner... not sure what though.

I'll keep an eye out for some small river stones to scatter in the sandy areas.


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## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

Loving the tank  Looks great. 38 gallon tanks are very overlooked IMO.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

Blackheart said:


> Loving the tank  Looks great. 38 gallon tanks are very overlooked IMO.



Thanks!

I like the extra height over a 30. The biggest challenge of the 38-gallon for me has been the 12" width. Hard to create much depth, especially with big pieces of driftwood taking up most of the midground. If I was starting from scratch, I would have piled up the substrate in the back corners and tried something narrower or different for hardscape. A few foot-tall rocks might have been cool.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

I asked in the aquascaping forum but I'll repost here as a bump: thoughts on swapping the wisteria on the right with the Cryptocoryne spiralis and Rotala on the left? I'm thinking the wisteria might look better over the taller piece of driftwood


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

Quick updates:

(1) I tried adding little rare-earth disc magnets to the suction cups for the lily pipes (a stack of two or three glued to the suction cups and stacks of two on the inside of the tank) with limited success. The magnets on the inflow are strong enough to hold it straight and above the rim of the tank (which was the point), but not strong enough to hold up the outflow -- likely since I have the heavy inline Hydor heater on the outflow pipe. Good enough for now, though, and the little black magnets aren't really noticeable on my speckled black background. If I were doing it again, I'd get larger, stronger magnets.

(2) It's been a long time since the last signs of ich, and the remaining 13 tetras seem quite happy. So I ordered 10 more cardinal tetras (tank raised this time) and 16 Corydoras pygmaeus from msjinkzd; they will arrive today. Very exciting! I've wanted pygmies for a long time. I'll add a new FTS and other photos of them once they're acclimated. The downside: I don't have a QT tank... just haven't had time to set anything up. Msjinkzd comes highly recommended and quarantines her fish, so hopefully I'll be alright. I think I will add a half-dose of Paraguard for a few days as a prophylactic measure. Does anyone have other suggestions for adding new fish without a QT to minimize the risk of disease spreading?


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## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

Maybe you can try a breeding box or a smaller QT tank like a 1.5 gallon.


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

Very cool tank, I like the white sand. It has a very natural feel to it.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

Update time...

I received my new cardinal tetras and pygmy cories from msjinkzd -- they're acclimated and looking healthy a week in. 

Beyond that, not much to report. Latest pics below -- none of the cories yet, as they're camera shy. As always, comments welcome.


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## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

Ah, the cardinals look so bright! They must be really happy. Congrats on the new ones!


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

All seems well with this tank at the moment. I'm going to get a group of Bolivian rams after the holidays. In the meantime, here's an evening shot (the ludwigia needs a trim).


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## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

looking awesome


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

Quick photo update after trimming a couple days ago:


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## jvdb (Feb 24, 2015)

Thanks for posting, its a beautiful tank. It's nice to see examples of excel only aquariums just to see what can be be done. Love it.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

jvdb said:


> Thanks for posting, its a beautiful tank. It's nice to see examples of excel only aquariums just to see what can be be done. Love it.


Thanks! I've been really pleased with it -- the different Ludwigia sp. in particular are really growing nicely these days.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

New photos, taken after a big trim, which included removing the wisteria on the right. It just grew so fast, and my Rotala (colorata and h'ra?) was growing and propagating so well on the left side that I transplanted some of it to the right. It's a little bare over there right now, but hopefully it will grow in nicely. 

As for the fish, all is well, no recent losses. I'm going to get a group of Nannostomus eques (hockeystick pencilfish) and Bolivian Rams in the next month or so, which should complete my stocking.


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## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

Very natural looking tank. Makes me want to setup a 38 gallon more so than I already do.


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## HeavyUser (Jan 23, 2016)

Great looking tank, keep up with the updates!


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

Well, this tank has been up for about six months, so I think it's time for a re-scape! I've never been wild about my driftwood choices -- they're sort of boring, and they block a lot of the tank and take up a good bit of room. I'm also getting tired of the Ludwigia species -- they can be really nice, but they require a lot of trimming and replanting to keep them from taking over, even in a tank without pressurized CO2.

So, I'm going to try something a little different. I want a slightly sparser look, with more open water, than I have now, and less plants that need frequent trimming. I really like the look of the hardscape in this aspirational tank that I found on philipraposo1982's thread (attached).

I'm planning to recycle a lot of the plants from my current setup, so it will be more heavily planted, but I'm going to try something similar with the hardscape -- a couple loose piles of boulder-y rocks with branch-y driftwood (spiderwood) coming up from the substrate. I'm going to try to scoop out the top layers of the current substrate and replace with a layer of that new aquavitro soil and cap with a dark tan sand. 

As for the plants, I'll tuck the AR mini stems individually all around the stones, and I'll apply the Bucephalandras, Anubias, java ferns, and moss liberally to the driftwood (more on the bases than the branches). For now, I'm going to keep the Cryptocorne spiralis and Rotala in the background. I will scatter the Staurogyne repens and C. parva throughout. I may also buy some C. tonkinensis to add some more height without too much extra plant mass. And I'll probably RAOK the Ludwigia stems.

This is a bit of a longer-term plan, though. I just ordered a couple pieces of spiderwood, and they'll have to soak a while. I also still need to find the right rocks -- I love the look of the dark gray/black rounded stones in that photo above, but I haven't found anything quite like it at landscape stores around here. (The Mexican beach pebbles I've found are the right color, but too flat and not large enough, the "creek rock" is the wrong color, and typical aquarium rocks like ohko and seiryu are too craggy.) In the meantime, I'll keep working on the current setup... it already needs another trim this weekend.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

Still planning the rescape. In the meantime here are 2 not-great photos (need to start using a real camera) of a mini rescape I did recently - I basically tore a hunk off the smaller piece of driftwood and flipped it over, and then trimmed and replanted. I'm hoping the S. repens in front will carpet so I can use it in the new scape. 

Soon I'll replace the substrate with a darker sand (and a layer of aquavitro soil under it). Then, once my driftwood is waterlogged, I'll rescape. Photos of the new driftwood coming soon.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

I've changed out the substrate to a finer grained sand with Mr. Aqua soil underneath. The tank is not as lush as it has been... there has been some die off of the Ludwigia and the S. repens isn't doing great. I think the plants need time to adjust. 

In the meantime, here's a video of the tank from earlier today, including my new Bolivian Rams! I got six, and two have already paired off and bred. You can see one of them on the left of the tank near the middle of the video. It's guarding the eggs, but I can't really get a good shot of them. 

https://vimeo.com/159638733


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## ROYWS3 (Feb 1, 2014)

Just went through this whole thread. It was neat to see haw the tank evolved over time, Nicely done!


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

My pair of Bolivian rams has spawned! Here's the female guarding the eggs:










And a full tank shot for good measure (needs a trim):


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

My rams spawned again this morning. Here's a video from soon after, including a wide angle of the tank.

https://vimeo.com/167548461


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## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

Whoa, number two this time?


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

bereninga said:


> Whoa, number two this time?


Third spawn, second with this pair. No fry survived from the first two, but this is a different spawning location, so we'll see if any make it this time. 

(Obviously a separate tank would be better for raising fry, but I didn't really plan on raising fry... if any survive, I'll find them a good home, though!)


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## ScubaSteve (Jun 30, 2012)

Nice tank...glad to see another member that uses Premier Aquatics. Love that place.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

ScubaSteve said:


> Nice tank...glad to see another member that uses Premier Aquatics. Love that place.




Premier Aquatics is great. A bit pricey but they have everything and it's so nice....


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

Here's a couple quick photos. The second focuses on the big hunk of driftwood on the left, which has really grown in nicely over the past several months. It's "hair" on top is mostly scrap Java fern trimmings and Java moss from the back that I thought had died. Bucephalandra and A. nana around the front.


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## ScubaSteve (Jun 30, 2012)

end3r.P said:


> Here's a couple quick photos. The second focuses on the big hunk of driftwood on the left, which has really grown in nicely over the past several months. It's "hair" on top is mostly scrap Java fern trimmings and Java moss from the back that I thought had died. Bucephalandra and A. nana around the front.


Looking great! Did you get the cardinals from premier?


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

ScubaSteve said:


> Looking great! Did you get the cardinals from premier?


Half are from Premier Aquatics, half are from msjinkzd. The ones from Premier are wild-caught and much larger than the tank-raised ones from msjinkzd. I had one bad batch of WC cardinals from Premier a while back, but these have been hardy.


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## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

This scape has come a long way! The colors of the cardinals are so vibrant.


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