# Nick's 75g first planted tank (algae help needed)



## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Okay, here we go! Basically I've had a 29g talk for several years and the fish big started biting a few months ago and I've been planning out a bigger tank that I want to be really nice, but I'm trying to be as economical as possible about it. As stated above I'm trying to keep the stuff exclusive to this tank under $500 including plants and fish. 

I'll be asking for advice not only on this tank, but also on any advice for future tanks or any bad purchases I've already made because if this works well I'd like to do another in the future. The links I provided in the first post are for specific questions I've had, and some have been answered, but some have not, so please check them out and chime in if you can! 

I don't actually have the tank/stand yet (I know, thread started before that... but I figure it doesn't hurt to have it ready) because as I said I'm budget conscious and one of the best ways to save money it a used stand/tank. I've been watching listings and making some offers and I'm fairly certain within the next month I can get a nice setup for under $200, perhaps as low as $100. I'm looking for something like this preferably:










And I'll be putting it here:









(Cat not amused by picture)

I plan on putting it about 2 feet in front of the heater. I think this would be okay but I could use your input. I figure that's enough space that if anything would go wrong with the heater the tank would be far enough out of the way that it could be serviced, and the tank will be far enough away that there won't be any issues with the tank getting too hot. 

I'm kinda planning to have the tank as an island, so you can move all the way around it, but I'll be setting up my rocks/plans like a normal tank, only intended to be viewed from the front/sides.

So far I've ordered the filter from amazon, a unit that has damaged packaging but which should otherwise be fine (else I'll return), and the following from home depot:










Let me tell you, I wasn't ready for that light... thing is f%$%^ing bright!


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## mitchfish9 (Apr 30, 2012)

Yes, it is a bright light. Individual reflectors for each bulb make it almost into CO2 range for your tank. I would recommend raising it a few inches.


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## GMYukonon24s (May 3, 2009)

Nice tank and cabinet.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

mitchfish9 said:


> Yes, it is a bright light. Individual reflectors for each bulb make it almost into CO2 range for your tank. I would recommend raising it a few inches.


Thanks much, was reviewing this in my lighting thread and will figure out a way to do that. I will either put two hooks into my ceiling or perhaps spend a few bucks to get curved rods to screw into the back of the stand.

GMY, I don't have that tank/stand, that's just a general idea of what I'm looking to find on craigslist. Have seen a few of them so far, just not in my price range. Also might not be able to get one with that kind of top depending on how exactly it would work with my lighting.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Just had a though for this. Since I plan to be able to walk around the back side of the setup, but don't intend for heavy viewing from that side I think I'll install several hooks on the back side for my net, armed sponge, siphon tube, and anything else that needs to drip dry. Can always then put either a towel or install a long catch basin below that.


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## shiloh (Jun 10, 2011)

A 55 from Craigslist should be far cheaper than that unless you're looking for a real furniture-quality stand/hood. It's one of the most common sizes. Or else there's always the 55 gallon for $55 at Petco...


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Do you happen to know when Petco will do the 55g for $55 again? I've heard that they do that but my local store doesn't have anything like that right now.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

I actually bought a 55g off of CL today for $45. It was really dirty, but I spent 30 minutes with some hot water really cleaning it up. Going to finish it up with some vinegar later in the weekend. 

In any case I don't think this will be used for this project as it didn't come with a stand and it will likely take me some time to get a proper stand for it separate. However if nothing comes along in a week or two I might consider moving my (very heavy and sturdy) dresser over for the tank and using it, will have to see.


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

CL tanks are pretty common. Just keep your eyes peeled for a deal. If you have access to a saw and a drill you can build a simple stand fairly cheap. Canopy would be a bit more of a challenge but still it can be done.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

A friend and I *could* feasibly build a nice stand, but I figure a deal will come along that will end up being nicer than what we could do in a reasonable amount of time. Still, if I get a tank/stand combo like I hope for this project I'll have all the time in the world to worry about the other one and may just build one for the heck of it.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Just got a positive response on this: 
http://allentown.craigslist.org/for/3533069630.html

So I may slightly up the budget for this project if I end up liking this tank and the single Fluval 405 isn't enough for a 75 gallon tank. Thankfully I don't think heating would be an issue for a 75 since I am only raising about 4 degrees from room temp, and the depth and width of the tank are the same so lighting can remain the same.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

So in my running around today I was able to nail down some supplies:










Got 120lbs of SafeTSorb ($13) and a $3 thermometer for inside the tank. Not counting against the budget is some vinegar (for cleaning) and ammonia (for fishless cycling).


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## shiloh (Jun 10, 2011)

Looks like you're on the right track. 55 is one of the more unique footprints in terms of finding a stand. Like you said, a dresser could be one solution. Building your own is a great option but remember that it may or may not be worthwhile economically if you decide you'd like to make it really nice. DIY is fun but it's not always the cheapest option...


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

My current plan should give me all the time in the world to worry about it thankfully. I'm going to set up and cycle/plant a tank in the bedroom, move the fish from the 29g in the living room into that tank, change the gravel in the 29g to SafeTSorb and plant that one, and move the barbs back to the 29g while leaving a catfish and shark in the 55/75g tank as the first permanent members of that tank. 

At that point I'll be moving the gravel and any leftover SafeTSorb into the 55 gallon tank setup in the office and using it as a Pleco/Cichlid tank. So that's probably 6 months off at least.

Also, I'm heading over tomorrow night to look at the CL tank I posted, so I'm really hoping I like it!


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Lots of updates!

First and most importantly I looked at the tank tonight and will be buying it! Going to pick it up tomorrow, super psyched! The total cost was $125 for stand and tank, and in addition I won't have to purchase a versa glass top as I originally thought. The tank comes with glass pieces for on top. In addition the heater, filter, and a couple Seachem chemicals will be arriving in the mail tomorrow. While I've saved myself some good money here, this has moved the project officially to 75g from 55g and I'm increasing the budget by $50 accordingly. If the savings continue as planned that allows me more for fish and plants.

After work today I also picked up a few things at Lowe's ($13) to hang the light, as I wanted that to be done before the tank was in the way if possible. GF and I decided to re-arrange the room a bit prior to the tank moving in. Turned a dresser that will run parallel with the tank and create a false wall impression. Between the tank and the dresser on left 2.5 feet will remain allowing us to get behind to a storage area and to easily access things on the back of and behind the tank.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

The guy who I'm buying the tank from actually has a very nice, large saltwater tank still running and a nice 29g freshwater tetra tank, so it's nice to know I'm buying from an active fish guy.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Lots of good news today, little bit of bad.

First, I picked up the stand:










And tank:










Thankfully Wednesday is my day off, so I'm going to spend part of the day cleaning the stand and tank, and buying a shim for under the front of the stand as it needs to go up 3/8ths of an inch, and some foam to go between the tank and the rail. Then I'll be able to put the tank on the stand and let the fun begin.

In addition I got some stuff in the mail today (and in the past week), and the only thing that was specifically for this tank was the heater. However I've also received my bottle of fert and 1000 gel caps, a new net, a plant trimming tool kit, and Seachem NPK, Flourish, Flourish Excel, and Prime. 










The bit of bad news is my filter came and it was obviously used and had a cracked top. So it's going back and I've decided to upgrade to the Fluval 406, 2nd hand but never out of box for $130.


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## BoxxerBoyDrew (Oct 16, 2005)

Great find!!!

Subscribed too! I am thinking of upgrading my 55g to a 75g, so I am really interested in how you are going to be setting up and scaping!

Good Luck!
Drew


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## shambhalove. (Jan 22, 2013)

Now for the fun part 
Maybe this is a dumb question but what are the gel caps for?


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

BoxxerBoyDrew said:


> Great find!!!
> 
> Subscribed too! I am thinking of upgrading my 55g to a 75g, so I am really interested in how you are going to be setting up and scaping!
> 
> ...


I have a definite picture in my head, but as a plant newb it will be a big challenge to see if I can actually pull it off.

shamb, the gel caps are to be filled with the fertilizer to be used in the place of the tabs you stick in the substrate to help feed plants. You can buy 40 seachem tabs for about $20, whereas 1000 gel caps and enough fert to till them cost me $25. Probably filled at least a hundred caps last night while watching The Daily Show and Colbert Report. 

Will post pictures later and update pricing later, but today I bought the foam and have cut it and taped it together and have a nice bit of foam to help my tank settle evenly. I also bought some shims to level off the stand. Finally, the glass that came with the tank doesn't have hinges, so I bought some stripping and heavy duct tape and will be making my own hinges.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Gave the tank an initial cleaning to get it most of the way ready, and went over the stand a bit too. Then I did the foam as I mentioned earlier:



















After that I took care of some of the stand modifications I wanted. I wanted a built in place to hang my wet stuff after I've used it, mounted my power strip, and most importantly did a quick rig to keep the overhead light from tilting towards the bed due to the weight of the power cord. Not a stunning setup, and I'll probably stick some weight on the other side in the future, but it works for now.




























Will put the tank in place sometime this afternoon or evening and continue the vinegar heavy cleaning that is still invaded my nostrils now. 

Stripping (for top glass) $3
Duct tape (for foam and top glass) $5
Shims $2
Foam $7


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## shambhalove. (Jan 22, 2013)

Thats a good trick with the diy root tabs haha.

If you connected your "cord support" to the ceiling it would take more of the weight and you could adjust it accordingly. You wouldnt have to weight the other side that way. Just a thought.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Yeah, that's one of the ideas I've been kicking around. But for now it's fine and I'll figure it out after everything is finally up and running. 

I put in the 80 lbs of Safe T Sorb and filled the tank with about 40 gallons of water. I then spent a good amount of time agitating the substrate and sucking brown water out. Will continue doing that on and off for the next 2-3 days probably. 

Also was able to make my DIY hinges for my glass. Will be ordering the plastic for the end along with 2 cheap handles from PetSolutions. Just gotta figure out what else I want to buy to get me to the $50 free shipping.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Okay, here's a quick drawing of what I'm hoping for the tank, so ya'll have a reference point when I fail miserably. 










The I'll actually have the rocks more towards the back and wider than I have pictured there. I'm hoping to build a nice central citadel, partially for looks, and partially because in my 29g I have this: 










And my Silver tipped shark spends all day circling the bottom, and my raphael catfish spends all day tucked up in the top, and I think they will appreciate something similar in the new tank.

The rocks will be moss covered, and there will be grass leading up to the rocks. From there I'm planning to do half a tank of green plants and half non-green. There will be just enough room behind the rocks to plant some tall background plants, and they will extend into the corners. Then aside of the rocks and coming towards the front will be some midground plants, and finally up in front will be some low plants. Something like red tiger lotus will be planted right next to the carpeting to hopefully sprout leaves over the grass and make a nice color transition in front between the two halves of the tank.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Hear is the glass in progress:










I used clear tape and it works great. Once I get the plastic strip for the end and handles it will be like brand new versa tops.

And then there is this...










I've taken about 50 gallons of brown water out so far, but thankfully every time I add new water there is slightly less color, so hopefully I'll be done in not too long.


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## BoxxerBoyDrew (Oct 16, 2005)

Looking good!! 

I am looking forward to seeing the Safety sorb in the large tank too! I have seen it in a few smaller tanks and it looks great, but I would like to ask you if you can get a pic of it with the lights on before planting, PLEASE! Just want to see it in large scale!Thanks!

Keep up with the "Fun" work!!!
Drew


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

I'll be sure to get a picture of it if I ever get it ready... probably 3 total hours and 150g+ of water into this project now. I basically just fill it up a few inches above the STS, agitate to get a bunch of dust into the water, and then siphon it out... and repeat... and repeat.

This was after about 75g:









Aside from hauling buckets constantly today I also went out in search of rocks. Unfortunately the area I looked in didn't really have exactly what I was looking for, but I grabbed some and played around a little anyway.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

So, 200g later I finally said it's time to just put water in gently and see what results I get, and it's mostly clear. Filter should be able to handle things from here. Anyway, boxxer, here are the substrate pics you wanted. 


























Also, my gf and I are rethinking the hardscape. We'll probably put the rocks in the back corner. Putting them in the middle and working everything around them would probably be a lot trickier than putting them in a place where they have glass to lean on and in the back.


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## raulfd4 (Dec 20, 2012)

It's really coming along now. Your back must be killing you after lugging 40 buckets worth of brown water. How far away is your water source?


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

My shower/toilet was about 30 feet from the tank, so not horrible. Only really bad part was putting the final water in. Had to put it on top of the tank because I was actually siphoning it into the tank (and still onto a plate) to be as gentle as possible with it. But hey, it's a good workout I suppose!

I should be getting the final pieces for the top tomorrow, and also the filter. In addition I am working with a member here to purchase some of my first plants. I have some rocks boiled, but didn't have a big enough pot for others, and someone will be loaning me a bigger pot tomorrow.


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## gt turbo (Sep 13, 2012)

Hi Rush3737, just a few things.

Firstly, I see an SNES in your pics. Wooohoooo Gamers unite! These are now the stuff of legend. I hope yours still works even if you have to blow on the cartridges.:thumbsup:

Secondly, your layout. When designing aquascapes one should never place the focal point in the center. Just off center either to the right or the left is better for focusing the eyes and the brain. Additionally try to be a lit bit less symmetrical in your layout. Use random patterns and groupings to create some interest.

This thread should really be a sticky - http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=180044

Thirdly, great build. I hope you and the misses enjoy it immensely!


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Thanks Turbo! I haven't played the SNES in awhile, but it still does work. PS3 and PC keep my attention plenty, but it's always nice to go back for some DK, Mario, or Megaman once in awhile! 

As for the thread, I'll definitely read through it after the Flyers game, but my idea has now completely changed from the picture I originally posted so it being center won't be an issue. 

Got these guys in today...


















First off, I had no idea the Filter would be so complicated and have so much power. I have a basic HOB filter with my 29g that has a single insert, and so this is just a bit of a jump up. The test kit allowed me to begin my fishless cycle today, with 15ml of 10% ammonia pushing me to between 5-6ppm. 

Next up is my rock formation. This could very well change, but I do like the cover it would provide my raphael. There are some nice natural dark areas in there and I may put a background on the tank to simply cut down on daytime light coming in from the window. 
























Here is an overview shot of the tank at this point. Plant is ceratopteris silquosa, and was an experiment in the 29g that frankly was not going very well. I threw away a lot of dying bits and only planted those doing alright. I placed in my first homemade fert tab, and tomorrow I'll start adding the liquid ferts as well. The skull is just a temporary measure from my 29g to help quicken the cycling. 










And here is the glass tops nearly completed. I'm going to wait until the tank is 100% done to cut the plastic strip and add it once I know for sure what is going where as far as things going into and coming out of the tank.










And from a member here I've purchased:
2 bulbs of the Red Tiger Lotus, 3 stems of Limnophila aromatica, and 3 stems of Red Ludwigia, and am waiting for all that to arrive. I really don't have plans for much yet, other than I still like the idea of some green grass out in front of the rock with the Red Tiger Lotus planted along side it to grow over it a bit.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Considering pulling the trigger on this thread: 

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?p=2457338#post2457338

I *really* like the Asian Ambulia, and it would give me a nice control to base my plant growth off of. If it's not doing well... then I'm really f--king something up. I also think the dwarf sag would be something to try for my little patch of grass. May not work, but can always pull it if need be.

I also could use some suggestions on a type of moss for the rocks!


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

I have some plants if you're interested. Purple and green cabomba, a dwarf sword, bought it as xingu sword, it sent a runner that has nine daughter plants and counting. My regular sword just started a runner a couple of weeks ago, and maybe a couple others. I have some blue tetras and a koi angel I am looking to move also.

Let me know what you think, I live in Lehighton, but work in Allentown, and it's no problem to run down there on the weekend.


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## gt turbo (Sep 13, 2012)

Rush3737 said:


> Considering pulling the trigger on this thread:
> 
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?p=2457338#post2457338
> 
> ...


The Dwarf Sag will work for a nice patch of grass as long as it has it requirements and it grows small and low in the right light. 

see pic -> 
IMG_9204 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr


IMG_9202 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Good Luck with the tank.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Hmm, Dwarf sag is a little thinner than I'd like in those pictures. And that link had some great info, but I can already guarantee I will be guilty of too many plant species, at least at first. Will probably plant a lot to see what works and then thin the heard and re-arrange when I see what is doing well and how everything is growing. 

LGD: That would be great! Looked up pictures of both of those things and I like them! The Cobomba would be a great sub for the ambulia it looks like.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Rush3737 said:


> LGD: That would be great! Looked up pictures of both of those things and I like them! The Cobomba would be a great sub for the ambulia it looks like.


Great, shoot me a PM when you're ready for them.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Added in some plants today, and I'll have pictures of those later, and will have more from LGD either tomorrow or next week. 

But here is a pressing question. Two days ago I added 15ml of 10% ammonia and got about 5ppm. Today, two days later it's down to... 1-1.5ppm. I know putting a piece in from the other tank should help, but can that really be right? Going to start testing for Nitrite now.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Rush3737 said:


> and will have more from LGD either tomorrow or next week.


Plants are all ready! See you tomorrow.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Got the plants and look forward to planting tonight and posting some pictures!

Quick question regarding loaches, can anyone suggest a variety of loach that is both community friendly and will not tear up any plants?


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

So before I had... many stems of Water Sprite, 2 bulbs of Red Tiger Lotus, 3 stems of Limnophila aromatica, and 3 stems of Red Ludwigia.

Now, per LGD I have...
Green cabomba
Purple cabomba
Another cabomba somewhere in between the other two
Alternathera reinickii
Echinodorus tenellus
Lilaeopsis novae zeleandae
Some kind of rotala. maybe colorata? 
A mature banana plant without the bananas. 

And here it is!


























The ammonia processing seems to have slowed some, so even though I waited 24 hours to add it after the batch of Prime I think that probably played a role.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Glad I could help. :wink:

Thought I threw in a small Val too. It was small, but you should have found it in the pile.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Just bought some moss from a user here. Peacock, Java, and Taiwan. 

Will use some on the left rock structure, some on the right, and some in front of the rocks on the left. Will probably move the grass forward and center a bit as I'll use moss for carpet now I think. 

Anyone think I should do driftwood in the middle of the structure? 

Also, LGD, after my day of work I remembered the 5 blue tetras you mentioned, but what was the other fish?


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Rush3737 said:


> Just bought some moss from a user here. Peacock, Java, and Taiwan.
> 
> Will use some on the left rock structure, some on the right, and some in front of the rocks on the left. Will probably move the grass forward and center a bit as I'll use moss for carpet now I think.
> 
> ...



9 blue tetras:wink: 

A koi angelfish.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Okay, then here is a very early look at my possible final stock.

Transfer from 29g tank:
Silver Tipped Shark
Raphael Catfish
Red Tailed Shark

From LGD:
9 Blue Tetras
Koi Anglefish

New:
6 Dwarf Chain Loaches
2 Bristlenose Plecos
1-3 Longfin Rainbow
2 Roseline Sharks
2-4 Gouramis
6-10 Swordtails/Mollies


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Also, if I can get something off of a member here, I might up the budget and make this high tech. In this for enough already... might as well.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

And yet more questions...

The member here I was hoping to buy from had another possible buyer lined up, so if that falls through, I have a 5lb tank I can get off of CL for $65. The next major thing is the regulator.

After many searches I *think* this will work: Concoa 400 series

But can anyone say for sure?

Edit: Nope, single stage dammit


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Plant update. Be prepared for lots of big names and scientific jargon...









Unfortunately the guy on the left kept getting uprooting until I had the good sense to turn down the Fluval a bit. Still I probably buried it a bit too deep now but we'll see. The one on the right seems to be doing well, and has sent out the air root thingies. 









Grass is looking okay I guess, and I think the bit in the front may be a new blade, but I'm not sure.









As you'll see with the other big leaf plant, they are NOT doing well at all. smaller guy in front seems to be doing pretty good.









Three different plants here, all seem to be doing moderately well.









As I said before, BAD. Going to cut the two end branches off and let the plant hopefully concentrate on salvaging the middle branches.









The control group is doing well, with the highest stem growing about 3/4" in a few days. I love the variety of colors they provide in that back corner.









And I may have picked this up today, leading to the thread title change. I did manage to get it full for $65 off of CL.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Give the big leaved plants some time, they might just need some time to settle in. That "grass" is _lilaeopsis_ and should form a nice little patch. I like how you have the _cabomba_ all mixed together.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Yeah, the cabomba forest is my favorite plant related decision so far.

Any thoughts on the planned fish stock?


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Rush3737 said:


> Yeah, the cabomba forest is my favorite plant related decision so far.
> 
> Any thoughts on the planned fish stock?



It's going to grow like weeds for you, so you'll really have a forest if you want it. The one corner of my tank is very dark from the growth. 

I'm mostly a South American fish keeper, so I don't have much experience with most of what you've listed, but my third hand knowledge tells me it's a great mix. The swords/mollies will keep the bigger fish well fed with their fry. :thumbsup:


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Hmm, you'd probably then be interested to know that when I setup my 55g tank I'm going to be leaning towards an apistogramma based tank.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Rush3737 said:


> Hmm, you'd probably then be interested to know that when I setup my 55g tank I'm going to be leaning towards an apistogramma based tank.


I can picture three pairs, or maybe two harems, a bunch of tetras and either hatchets or pyrrhulina for the surface. 

Lots of wood, lots of plants. No carbon/Purigen for a nice tea colored aquarium.


One at a time though!


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Exactly. Once I can successfully plant this thing and have it fully running and I'm happy with it that will be my next project to move on to.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Re-arranged my rock structures today to make the colors match on either side more. Also added Java moss to the left hand structure. I also bought a piece of driftwood that is currently soaking. 

Will post pics tomorrow as my tank is a tad muddy right now from all the rock moving.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Okay, so obviously I've added the driftwood. I figure with a BN Pleco or two in the tank they will need it, and other fish tend to just like it, so I think it'll be a nice break between the two rock formations. Rocks definitely looks better with all the colors on either side, but hopefully if my moss experiment works out that won't matter much in the long run. 

I re-planted the grass and also slightly moved some of the stuff sitting in front of the rocks on the left to give everything a little more room. One of my goals for tonight is to document and start to remember the names of everything in the tank so I know what I'm talking about as I add more and it continues to grow. 

On that note... holy cabomba batman. That stuff is definitely taking off, about 3/4" or more in the last 3 days. Can't imagine what that'll do with CO2...

And on that note, I contacted Bettatail to hopefully build me something, but he unfortunately hasn't been on much lately and it's been several days since I've heard from him. His stuff gets great reviews and I hope he doesn't take a vacation from here or anything! Really excited to get that in place and have the plant side of things all squared away.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

So last night I bought...

Victor 7-0155 dual stage regulator
Hoke 2331F2B metering valve
Skinner C series solenoid
*Check Valve
*Bubble Counter
*Tubing
*Disc diffuser

*This was cheap stuff from the Asian sellers, so if I have any issues they might get upgraded at some point.

I will still have to hit Lowes or Home Depot to get the needed washers, pipe putty stuff, and potentially an adapter for out of the regulator and into the solenoid. I know the solenoid is 1/8 both ends (as is everything else from there on out), but I think the output on the reg is 1/4, but not sure.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Okay guys, need some help, can't talk to myself through this one!

Basically the first plant I bought from Petco was Laceleaf water sprite. I had my concerns from day 1, but now it's obvious that there is another type of plant in with the sprite. Also, because this plant had 3 billion stems I uprooted it, removed any showing any signs of bad health and replanted the rest in 3 bunches with a little bit of space between, looks MUCH better now. But in any case, what's the other plant?










The left bundle is mostly the sprite, the right bundle stuff is what I need help with.

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In other news... snails. Didn't realize they could even survive with an ammonia filled tank, but apparently they can. Either the Java moss I bought in store of some of the plants I got from LGD must have had them. Looking around I guess they won't harm my plants, so they should be okay for now, but I still fully intend to get my Dwarf Chain Loaches, so any that aren't too big by that point will be in trouble.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Rush3737 said:


> In other news... snails. Didn't realize they could even survive with an ammonia filled tank, but apparently they can. Either the Java moss I bought in store of some of the plants I got from LGD must have had them. Looking around I guess they won't harm my plants, so they should be okay for now, but I still fully intend to get my Dwarf Chain Loaches, so any that aren't too big by that point will be in trouble.



No snails from me. Just added my first today.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

How long from hatching till they get to be a noticeable size? I suppose they could have also come from a bit back when I got the plants from MarioMan72. Not worried about them for now, just don't want to see a tank filled with them before any fishes even get in.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Rush3737 said:


> How long from hatching till they get to be a noticeable size? I suppose they could have also come from a bit back when I got the plants from MarioMan72. Not worried about them for now, just don't want to see a tank filled with them before any fishes even get in.




No idea how long it takes. I would think the loaches you plan on getting would enjoy as many snails as you could give them. What kind of snails are they, BTW?


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Um... snail snails? 

I have to look it up yet, not a clue and can't wake the slumbering with lights in that room right now. I'll take a look tomorrow and try to ID.


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## TheRiverRat (Feb 13, 2013)

That one mystery plant with the sprite may be water wisteria, I am probably wrong though!


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Thanks Rat, looking at pictures that definitely could be a match. I'll look in the morning when I can actually see the plant to be sure, but my pictures look very close to what I'm seeing online.


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## alipper (Nov 6, 2012)

Nice setup so far, digging it.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Snails are just too tiny for me to identify for sure right now, but I'll post a picture later and let you guys have a swing at it.

I'm also starting to see some brown and green algae on the glass. It's probably just safe to let that go until I add CO2 in a week or so right? From what I understand the hi-tech CO2 basically eliminates algae issues.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Not a great pic, but snail:


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

The bad news:
Some of my plants (most noticeably the Cabomba) seem to have sections that kinda turn to mush for lack of better term. I have no clue what could be causing this. I don't overdose Excel, don't think there are any plant killing things in the tank, and they are well fertilized. Still, I think I may cut out Excel until the CO2 is running. 

Also, I've been rubbing gray algae off my banana plant and trying to get it off of some other plants as well. Once again, can't wait for CO2 to be up and running. 

And finally, algae is getting worse and worse, lots of spots, and I hope it doesn't get out of hand before CO2 is added. I think I'll raise the light in the meanwhile to help with this. 

The good news:

















I didn't realize the regulator had actually come with a check valve, but I figured the one I have is newer and bigger, so clearly it must be better...

In any case I just threw some parts together, didn't seal anything yet, especially important as I need my solenoid between the two parts now assembled. 



Overall I'm really worried about my tank health. I just finished cycling ammonia and now it's onto monitoring nitrite, so on the fish side of things it's good, but I'll be hoping for some great overall improvement on the plant side of things once my CO2 starts up.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Sorry to hear about your struggles. FWIW, that cabomba was grown in Excel.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Well the strange this is for the most part it's still looking very good. Random parts just decide to melt away from time to time.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Melt or break off?


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Melt. Parts will just turn to mush that can break away super easy.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

I think I'm setting the fish date for this tank to around March 2nd. Reason is 28 days prior to that I put a 50g filter on my 29g tank, which already had a 30g filter. On the 2nd the 50g should be seeded and be able to hold down the 29g tank no problem. So that will allow me to move the 30g filter over to this tank. Even if the Fluval isn't 100% cycled the fully cycled 29g will finish stabilizing the tank. On the 1st I can do my 90% water change to eliminate Nitrates, and also order my Dwarf Loaches for overnight delivery on Saturday. And of course I'll add my transfer fish right away as well. 

Then I can hopefully add the fish from LGD 1-2 weeks after that.


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## handlebar (Feb 7, 2013)

Hey, 
I'm interested in your sources for the Rest of your CO2 set up; Needle Valve, Solenoid?


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

I got them all off of ebay, all from different sellers. The Hoke needle valve pictured cost me $15.50. The Skinner C Series solenoid which will hopefully come tomorrow cost me $18. 

With the tank, all the parts and tubing and such the complete setup will probably have cost around $225.

And I was kinda pushing hard to have CO2 up and running before fish got in, but I have no doubt if people take their time they can have a nice setup for $150-175 as others have suggested. For the 55g tank I will be tackling down the road I will take that approach and get the pieces cheaply over time.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Rush3737 said:


> I think I'm setting the fish date for this tank to around March 2nd. Reason is 28 days prior to that I put a 50g filter on my 29g tank, which already had a 30g filter. On the 2nd the 50g should be seeded and be able to hold down the 29g tank no problem. So that will allow me to move the 30g filter over to this tank. Even if the Fluval isn't 100% cycled the fully cycled 29g will finish stabilizing the tank. On the 1st I can do my 90% water change to eliminate Nitrates, and also order my Dwarf Loaches for overnight delivery on Saturday. And of course I'll add my transfer fish right away as well.
> 
> Then I can hopefully add the fish from LGD 1-2 weeks after that.


If you need some seeded media, I can give you some.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

If I had half a brain I would have offered you some fresh media for some seeded stuff when we transferred the plants! For now though it's only a week out so I can wait. 

In other news I'll have to really hunt for my Chain Loaches now. The place I had lined up to get them was going to charge $60 for 6 of them, which is reasonable. I was also going to get 3 barbs for my other tank. Now apparently they'd require me to buy 6 barbs and want to charge at least $45 for shipping.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Started a thread here asking for ideas, but it looks like my hope for a loach shoal is looking worse the more I search the internet. Assuming I go the route of ditching loaches altogether and getting Assassin snails, what general fish would you guys replace the loaches with? 

For quick reference, here was the original stock plan
"Transfer from 29g tank:
Silver Tipped Shark
Raphael Catfish
Red Tailed Shark

From LGD:
9 Blue Tetras
Koi Anglefish

New:
6 Dwarf Chain Loaches
2 Bristlenose Plecos
1-3 Longfin Rainbow
2 Roseline Sharks
2-4 Gouramis
6-10 Swordtails/Mollies"

I'm thinking maybe just upping the number of Gouramis/Community fish.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Rush3737 said:


> If I had half a brain I would have offered you some fresh media for some seeded stuff when we transferred the plants! For now though it's only a week out so I can wait.
> .


And if I had the other half, I should have offered. :fish1:


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

I *may* have found a new source for my Dwarf Chain Loaches, and also the barbs for my other tank, but we'll see if the store pulls through for me. If those loaches don't go after the snails I'll get Assassins anyway, but I'd like to at least give them a shot. 

My fishless cycle is going a little weird. It's plowing through Ammonia without issue, but Nitrites are still off the chart high, even after 2 days of 33% water change. Same with Nitrate. But if my limited knowledge of fish theory is correct, as long as I have a fully cycled filter to add on, and as long as I do a 90% water change to eliminate 90% of the toxins, I'll still have no issues adding fish.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Well it seems the tank has gotten a handle on the nitrites, which isn't too important with the 2nd filter coming in, but nice to see. 

On the CO2 front I've gotten in the solenoid, tubing, diffuser, and bought a few extra pieces. I also ordered a 45 degree elbow for right before the bubble counter to get it pointing close to straight up, and the washers for between the tank and regulator. I also put a cord on the solenoid. 










As far as plants, the Sprite, Wisteria, Red Ludwigia and Cabomba are still doing great. 

As for the other plants I've been reading and I think the melting on them and the others that are doing well is just normal adjustment to the new tank. But here is an example of some melting and heavy discoloration.


















I also had to do some Cabomba trimming as they ended up making it to the top of the tank. I really like the stuff so I'll probably expand the area which it's in by a good bit. Also, the banana plant managed to grow a branch up to the surface in just 4-5 days, but it hasn't shown an actual leaf yet. Here is some before and after of the Cabomba/tank. I had also cut away a lot of the bad leaves and such but you probably can't even see that from these shots.


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## BoxxerBoyDrew (Oct 16, 2005)

Tank is looking good!!!

Thanks for the pics too! It will be cool to watch it grow in!

Keep up the good work!
Drew


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Thanks Drew. I think I'll also go looking for a plant package from someone here to kinda fill the tank in for awhile. I do hope that certain plants just do great, especially with CO2, but it will be nice to have a wide selection of what I want to take out and what I want to continue to spread.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Looking good!


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Seems my bio-filter is set, so now it's just a matter of getting CO2 and fish sorted out.

I'm *hoping* all my CO2 parts finish rolling in by Saturday, and if not Monday.

Tuesday I'll do my 90% water change.

Wednesday is my day off and I will hopefully switch over the filter and add the 9 Tetras, and hopefully the Gouramis assuming I can't pull a miracle and get some Dwarf Chain Loaches before then. I would add the Swordtails/Mollies first, but frankly I've been so worried about the rarer fish I just haven't given that very large group of fish any real thought yet. 

Assuming the Tetras and Gouramis make it two days without issue I'll transfer in the Red Tail, Silver Tip, and Raphael from my other tank. 

In the meanwhile I have plans for a shelf and lighting unit inside of my stand to make it all snazzy. Will post pics of that when it's ready. Also, I did buy more plants from someone here and so they should be in before the fish as well.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

I got thinking tonight about food, and wanted to know what you guys would recommend for all the fish once I have them assembled. The Plecos are of particular concern as years back I seemed to have the most horrible luck with them.

Right now I do fish pellets on M, Tu, Th, F, Su. I drop an algae wafer M night, do brine shrimp W, and bloodworms Sa. Should I do any additional days of wafers, or just plan on a veggie one night for the BN plecos? If I am able to add loaches should I make one night shrimp pellets? Same question if I end up adding assassin snails instead.

And I think I will adjust my stocking to not include Loaches for now. 

Transfer from 29g tank:
Silver Tipped Shark
Raphael Catfish
Red Tailed Shark

From LGD:
9 Blue Tetras
Koi Anglefish

New:
6 Assassin Snails
2 Bristlenose Plecos
2 Longfin Rainbow
2 Roseline Sharks
2 Flying Foxes
6 Gouramis
12-20 Swordtails/Mollies/Danios/Rasbories/etc

I figure the Plecos, Catfish, and Sharks will have the bottom, Gouramis will occupy the top, and the rest will take the mid depth.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Bump for help.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Okay, have a revised schedule of events:

March 1: Add new plants, which are as follows
Alternanthera reineckii - 1x
Heteranthera zosterifolia - 5x 
Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides - 10+ nodes 
Ludwigia repens 'Rubin' 'Extra red' - 5x 
Ludwigia repens ' green' - 5x 
Micranthemum micranthemoides - 10x 
Myriophyllum mattogrossense - 5x 
Najas guadalupensis - 3x 
Pogostemon erectus - 5x 
Ranunculus inundatus - 5+ nodes 
Rotala indica 'Green' - 7x 
Rotala wallichii - 5x 
Pistia stratiotes - 5x 

March 6: Have CO2 completed by this date. All my parts should have definitely arrived by then. Hopefully sooner.

March 7: 90% water change
March 8: Tetras and Koi from LGD go in, and BN Plecos/Roseline/Foxes if available at LFS. Heavily monitor water conditions. 
March 9: If all is good, add in two catfish and the shark. Continue heavy monitoring, and add extra seeded filter if necessary.
March 11: Receive and add gourami's (thinking 3 pearl, 3 gold, both with 2f:1m ratio) and assassin snails from PetSolutions. Will also happen to have two barbs for my other tank in that order. Even if unnecessary, add extra seeded filter as the bioload from this tank will keep it healthier than my other tank. In future it will be used to be taken off whenever needed for a hospital/quarantine tank.
March 12: Figure out what Swordtails/Mollies/Danios/Rasbories/etc I want and acquire any fish I was unable to get previously.

Edit: And it was nice to have a very slow day at work yesterday, not to mention free ink. Was able to print out data on all those new plants to have on hand when sorting/planting them tonight.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Take this:










Add this: 










And you get this:


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Dibs on the trimmings from the heteranthera and myriophyllum!

And regarding your feeding schedule, without some algae in the tank for them to graze, you may be slightly starving the plecos.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Really? I was under the impression BN Plecos were common in Planted Tanks, which would typically not have much algae. Would an algae wafer every night solve the problem?

Edit: And if I'm able to grow it you certainly have first dibs on any of it!


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## TheRiverRat (Feb 13, 2013)

just watch their bellies, i never feed mine


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Rush3737 said:


> Really? I was under the impression BN Plecos were common in Planted Tanks, which would typically not have much algae. Would an algae wafer every night solve the problem?
> 
> Edit: And if I'm able to grow it you certainly have first dibs on any of it!



I'm a self admitted over feeder. :icon_redf. It's tough being Italian and a fishkeeper! :wink:


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## raulfd4 (Dec 20, 2012)

The new plants added in look good. Having the extra plants in there should help curb the algae issues you have been having until the CO2 gets going. Then this tank will really take off. Good stuff :thumbsup:


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Thanks Raulf. Still waiting on my bubble counter (Wednesday at latest arrival) and then I'll be all set. Until then I got all the pre-BC stuff together. I even decided to go ahead and add a T after the solenoid as I've been considering at some point putting a small tank nearby this one to experiment with plants and keep shrimp and snails. I figure I'd bait the snails and them add them to the 75 as a treat for the assassins as long as their population stays in control as it should. Anyway, here is what's constructed so far.










And here is where my stand is at right now.










I have several more improvements yet to come, but so far I have the drying area which includes nails for my nets, siphon, sponge, scraper sponge, and anything else that needs a place to drip dry. Above the big jug of ammonia is where I'll be installing a 12x12 shelf when I can borrow a saw on Monday. I happened to find a nice piece of wood that perfectly matches the stand, not that it matters in the back. All the ferts will go on the shelf. I just installed the light so I can see what I'm doing, especially when screwing with the CO2. And I put in two little hooks to be able to tie off the tank. I will at some point pick up peace ties to run between them for a more secure holding.

Edit: And I posted my fert/maint chart on the inside of the door so when I open it in the morning I know exactly what I'm doing!


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Firstly, I can't believe it took until yesterday to see someone post a link to AqAdvisor.com. Awesome reference site and it helped me do some additional planning.

That's the good news, the bad news is I've run into a bit of an issue. While I was reviewing things yesterday I found out my silver tipped shark is actually a Pictus Catfish (hooray Petco!). This is a problem because there are many reports of the active Pictus having no regard for plants as it actively swims about and as such can't move into the new tank. This couples with the fact that I've become more hesitant to move the Red Tailed Shark as they can be finnicky with certain fish and he currently gets along famously with my barbs. Unlike the Pictus though his size should never be an issue. 

So this doesn't negatively affect this tank as much as it does create a problem for me as the Pictus continues to grow. I suppose worst case scenario I offer him up for people if he outgrows his castle, but he is the fish I've had the longest (over 4 years) and would hate to see him go. I suppose I can just hope he stays relatively shorter for his kind for now.

Anyway, back to the advisor. It did get me thinking about my gouramis, and to keep the stock lighter and keep just one species I think I'm going to cut back to 3 pearls. Will offset this by keeping a larger school of Roseline's probably. I also will probably cave and just spend the money on the Dwarf Chain Loaches I want (Probably over or around$100 shipped for 6). I will be letting the tank go at least a month though before I pick them up. So now my newer stock looks something like this...

Transfer from 29g tank:
Raphael Catfish
Red Tailed Shark

From LGD:
9 Blue Tetras
Koi Anglefish

New:
6 Dwarf Chain Loaches
2 Bristlenose Plecos
6 Roseline Sharks
3 Pearl Gouramis
6-10 Swordtails/Mollies/Danios/Rasbories/etc


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

I'll try and post a picture tomorrow, but I noticed today that the Red Ludwigia, which recently had some of the absolutely tattered leaves and generally looked pretty bad, has taken off. New leaves, healthy, and bigger than ever before.

On the other hand the banana plant, as cool as it is and as quick as it was able to send out the new branch just looks worse every day. I can see it being pulled in favor of other plants, but I'll give it a shot with CO2.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Well, here it is at last:










When I open the metering valve too much I can see a way of bubbles coming out of my diffuser, which should mean the CO2 is getting there no problem. And when I turn it down to where I want it (15 or so PSI, 2BPS), there are no bubbles at the other end. I hope and believe this means it's effectively diffusing in the diffuser and I'm getting all of my CO2 in the water. 

Also, for those who may have actually payed attention to the budget in the beginning, I can safely say I've taken my $550 budget, and with hi-tech and some pricier fish than I originally intended will likely end up doubling that number. 

Now I just hope all the plants show signs of doing very well over the next few days. They've had O+ tabs in, have water ferts, and so this should be the last piece to their puzzle.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Also, after reading about it here, I plan to replace my filter carbon with Purigen on Friday when I do my 90% water change and first filter cleaning.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Now given some time I do see a small bit of bubbles coming steadily out of the diffuser, but a good amount gets caught in the stream from my filter as I placed the diffuser just below.

I take it it's normal for bubbles to start to develop on the walls of the bubble counter?


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Seeing some videos of people with diffusers like mine I've upped my BPS to 7-8ish, to get a lot bigger stream more in line with others.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

You know, you folks leave me hanging and I just go spend more money... after reading a bunch yet again I've decided to purchase a drop checker/liquid from a member here. Will just keep CO2 on the lower end of things until it arrives.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Rush3737 said:


> You know, you folks leave me hanging and I just go spend more money... after reading a bunch yet again I've decided to purchase a drop checker/liquid from a member here. Will just keep CO2 on the lower end of things until it arrives.


I wish I used CO2 so I could help you out, but other than a very failed experiment with a homemade setup 15 years ago, I have no experience.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

longgonedaddy said:


> I wish I used CO2 so I could help you out, but other than a very failed experiment with a homemade setup 15 years ago, I have no experience.


No worries, should probably have just gotten a drop checker to begin with. Snails are still kicking, so at least I know the CO2 isn't up too high. Tonight when I have the water level low I may to some plant pruning or removal depending on what I see. 

Won't have too much time though as the fishless cycle guide says to add water back in relatively soon so the bacteria don't dry out.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Man, I came into tonight exhausted and ended it doubly so. I did end up buying a water changer at PetSmart last minute, but it was still a project and a half doing everything tonight. For starters I got a 50ft hose for when I set up my 55g tank, and that thing was difficult to work with. I didn't get very good suction and so that took awhile. Cleaning the filter and adding purigen went alright, but just doing it for the first time was stressful. Ended up not really changing anything with the scape for now, can always adjust that at a slower time. Now I'm not sure if this is pearling, or if bubbles from adding water just stuck to the plants, but it looked cool either way.



















Now I'm going to add a few drops of ammonia to just give the bacteria one last bit of juice to make it until tomorrow when the fish go in. Although I don't know if it will ever get to them as the tank was of course dosed with Prime as the water was going in.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Leaving in a few minutes to get the first fish for the tank!

This morning the Cabomba was pearling I think, and I'll have a picture of that later. 

My A,N,N is at 0,0,40. The 40 is surprising given the huge water change, but what I'll do is just do another 50%water change while I am acclimating the new fish. 

Drop checker actually arrived today. Put in the 5 drops of solution, filled with the 4whatever solution to the fill line and threw it in. Showing green, so I guess I've been doing alright with CO2. And of course the snails still live.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Rush3737 said:


> I got thinking tonight about food, and wanted to know what you guys would recommend for all the fish once I have them assembled. The Plecos are of particular concern as years back I seemed to have the most horrible luck with them.
> 
> Right now I do fish pellets on M, Tu, Th, F, Su. I drop an algae wafer M night, do brine shrimp W, and bloodworms Sa. Should I do any additional days of wafers, or just plan on a veggie one night for the BN plecos? If I am able to add loaches should I make one night shrimp pellets? Same question if I end up adding assassin snails instead.
> 
> .


Since you asked me this morning about your feeding schedule, I thought I would take a second look. 

The day to day plan looks good, but with the Raphael, you may want to feed shrimp pellets two or three times a week, or some other catfish-friendly pellet. 
As far as the plecos go, fresh veggies will never hurt. 

And the ultimate answer for a good feeding regimen is happy fish and low nitrates.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Fish are in! But let's take a step back. First, pearling Cabomba!









Got the fish from LGD on Saturday morning and they spent some time in a bucket with my adding my water slowly. Of course even though I had the bucket tilted up on another bucket I turned my back for a minute to find a tetra on the floor with some cat hair in the water. I was just so happy the fish seemed fine when I scooped him back in the bucket. Would have felt like hell if one of the fish never even made it to the tank. 









Once they got in the tank a tetra broke away to pose with the angel for me.









And finally the tank as of now. The banana plant got removed, and two of the other plants just withered to nothing. You can see the drop checker up in the corner next to my thermometer and my diffuser sitting right under the filter outflow. I think I may end up bringing the lights down a few inches now that I have CO2 running and also am doing dry ferts now.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Love to see that cabomba pearling!


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Not to the degree that it is in that picture, but it's still pearling today. If nothing else, I'm one hell of a Cabomba farmer.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

So with the Tetras being a bit bigger and more active than I imagined I'm thinking of doing some slight changes to my stocking. 

Raphael Catfish
Red Tailed Shark
9 Blue Tetras
Koi Anglefish
6 Dwarf Chain Loaches
2 Bristlenose Plecos
6 Roseline Sharks
3 Pearl Gouramis
6-10 Swordtails/Mollies/Danios/Rasbories/etc

I'm thinking due to the cost and the eventual size of the Roseline Sharks I should perhaps drop them, or drop the misc community fish, but I'm not sure. I think in any case I'm going to drop the Roseline's from the order I was going to place in ~2 weeks and save them for the very end if I decide to put them in.


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## Dx3Bash (Jan 9, 2013)

Roseline sharks (denison barbs) are such nice looking fish. They are active and really pop with the right conditions. Wish I had them in my 75 instead of all my small tetras and rasboras. Problem is they would likely make a meal of my amano shrimp :icon_sad:. I was at two different Petsmarts yesterday and they were selling them for only $9.09 ea (2-2.5") which isn't so bad. They were nice healthy specimens. Just a heads up in case you have a Petsmart nearby.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

I do, I'll have to give them a call. I was planning on paying $15 a fish. Thanks for the heads up! 

And I agree, they are fantastic looking fish, which is why I'll probably end up deciding to go with them in the end.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

So... my Raphael will not come out of his castle. I put some water in a bucket, placed the castle over the bucket (sadly wouldn't fit in it), put a towel over everything to give him darkness, and two minutes later he still kept himself wedged in the castle. I know eventually he'd probably give up and drop, but I felt bad keeping him out as long as he was already. I'm just going to have to watch over the next few hours/days and if he is just floating in the top but not wedged I'll quick pull up the castle so he doesn't have that option.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Well, I tried to get the Raphael into the tank and away from his castle by simply holding the castle so his upper body was out of water and his tail was just touching the water, hoping he would give up and drop into the tank, but no luck. So I ended up calling a friend who had my 29g tank for awhile and asked him if he ever had to move the Raphael. He used a tooth brush to gently coax the fish and that's what I did. It took some time and I reaaaaally hope I didn't hurt him as I've had him forever. Hopefully in the end he likes his new big home. 

And then there was even more trials and tribulations. I got the Red Tailed Shark in a tupperware container, had it over the tank and was shedding some water out when the thing launches out and of course goes behind the tank. I was able to get to him in about a minute and I also really hope he's OK. Back when I first started I had horrible luck with Red Tails despite always loving them. I went through two with no luck and then my buddy who had the tank went through a third. This time his color is staying strong and he's been very active and healthy and I really hope I didn't screw over a 4th Red Tail.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Might as well do a plants update while I'm drip readying the fishes.

First, Scarlet Temple. The interesting thing about these plants are that the near two were given to me by LGD earlier than the big one in the back was added. And yet the one in the back, although starting larger, seems to be growing better and has one, perhaps two baby plants coming off of it if you look closely to the front and left of it.









I think this is Green Ludwigia, and what I find interesting about it as you can so very clearly see how the plant melted down to a certain point and then new growth began. It only shows somewhat in the picture, but the color difference between old growth (dark green) and new growth (bright green) is night and day.









I'm still not 100% sure what this is (help!), but once again the picture doesn't do justice to how well the white and green color separation is, giving it a spectacular look from the top. 









Red Tiger Lotus. I remember probably two-three weeks or so ago when this was still 3-4 tattered discolored leaves. I can't believe how this thing has absolutely exploded since then.









There are two foreground plants that should be in this picture that have all but disappeared, and will probably be gone completely soon. The plants behind seem to be doing alright, but nothing spectacular and I hope a few of them really take hold soon.









And finally, probably the only overhead shot I'll ever get of Chris Angel, the Raphael who caused me so much trouble. Oh, and I had heard about it, but it was quick a shock to hear how loud the Raphael's croak can be!


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Well, both have made it through the night, that's good at least. Funny thing is this morning, even with some sunlight coming through, the Raphael was slowly strolling through the entire tank. In years I have not seen him as much as I did this morning. Of course now with the light on he's taken cover in the rocks, but hopefully with low/no lights he continues to be more social.


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## puopg (Sep 16, 2012)

Plant that you dont know in the pic is Sunset Hygrophelia. That stuff is a weed and will grow super fast. Also illegal in some states.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

puopg said:


> Plant that you dont know in the pic is Sunset Hygrophelia. That stuff is a weed and will grow super fast. Also illegal in some states.


Right you are, thanks! 

Suppose once it reaches the top of the tank I'll cut it in half and move it to the back and bring something else up in front of the driftwood.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Here are the two fish in their new home:


















I'm kinda not sure about the moss anymore. I kinda had a vision for how that would work and it isn't panning out. Have CO2 now, high light, good ferts, and it doesn't seem to do much. The rocks are getting coated with brown algae, so I'll let the BN Plecos come in and do some cleaning before I make a final decision, but I might end up just having the rocks in there bare. Even the moss in the substrate seems to do nothing. Same with the grass. 

Really I'm having a hell of a time with foreground stuff I'd say.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

So it looks like my local Petco just got some BN Plecos in today, so I'm going to head down there and pick up a pair to hopefully help with my brown algae problems. Lady from the store said they are small, but from what I've heard they are still great cleaners and should hopefully have the tank in better shape in no time!


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Okay, so here's a fun story. I have several pet stores near me and figured I'd call around to see if anyone has BN Plecos in. First place I call says they just got some in that day, great! So I go to the store and look around, and only find one group of Plecos unmarked. The fish person on duty was heading to break when I tried to flag her down and she said she'd get somebody for me. I get someone from another department who has no clue what the fish is. He goes to ask about the fish and comes back with nothing, and tells me I can always come back tomorrow. Normally not a problem, but I told him I had specifically called to see if I could find a place to pick one up tonight and to please find out. He comes back and says we're good to go. So I picked up two but want to be sure these actually are BN Plecos. Quite small and so I didn't think they'd have the obvious bristles yet. 










On the plant front I pulled out the water wisteria and sprite that I had bunched together and just saved a minor amount of wisteria behind the driftwood. Sprite is gone. Moved the Pogostemon erectus to the front left of tank. Moss there is gone. I figured if the moss on the rocks does or doesn't work this stuff should hopefully just grow nice and bushy up and over the rock face. My green ludwigia has been growing like crazy and so it got moved to the back next to the left rocks were it should take up space nicely like the Cabomba in the other corner. I also pulled a bunch of foreground plants that were either dying severely or long term stagnant. Put the one plant up front on the right to make some more room in the back for when it grows in more.


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## SouthernCichlids (Jan 20, 2013)

They look like little BN's to me!


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Awesome, thank you very much! I thought they were, as I tried best I could to look up photos on my phone, but the problem is I had never had them before and you always see adult photos in searches when the fish look their best, harder to find young pictures!


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Unfortunately on Friday one of the tetras was belly up in the tank, and so they are now a schooling 8. I of course checked all the tank parameters and nothing seemed out of place, and my only concern is that whenever I feed, even yesterday when I fed blood worms the tetras don't really seem interested, and every fish I've ever had just loved the blood worms. In other bad news I was trying to re-position the filter outtake and diffuser and ended up breaking the diffuser. So until the new one comes in Monday or Tuesday I just have huge bubbles coming out of the tube. Mainly waste, but figured that something is better than nothing for the few days. 

Switching to good news, I saw both BN Plecos in the light today for the first time since I put them in. They had taken to the rocks, specifically the underside of them and hiding but hopefully this means they are starting to get used to things and will start coming out more.

Also did my 50% water change and had most of the remaining plants pearling which was nice to see.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Feeding in this tank at this point is becoming really weird. The tetras still just don't seem to want to eat. Even when I throw in some very fine pellet food one or two of them might come for a spec or two, and in general they just never seem excited for food. I can only hope they are foraging at night. 

And then I blanched a cucumber for the first time last night and put it in and it was pretty much a dud. Would check on it occasionally with my phone light figuring at least the Plecos or Raphael would be on it but no one ever was. More surprisingly come morning there weren't even any snails on it! On the other hand I put another slice in my barb tank and they went [censored][censored][censored][censored]ing bonkers for it!

The angel at least is fun to feed. Any time I come into the room he swims up hoping for food, and when feeding time comes I hold a pellet under the water and he swims up to about 2 inches away. I release and he gobbles it right up. Usually repeating for about 5 (large) pellets until he's happy.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Continuing to wonder if I'm feeding veggies correctly. On Friday I again cut two slices of cucumber, cut out the middle part with the seeds, and dipped each in boiling water for a minute. I then let them cool and stuck the fork handles into the substrate of the respective tanks. Again the barbs ate it up but once again in this tank I awoke to a cucumber that didn't even have snails on it. I thought they were supposed to get covered in snails?

Another interesting thing happened. When I fed bloodworms on Saturday I saw the Angel get very aggressive for the first time. He has an interesting quirk too, where he tilts to a 45 degree angle before dashing at the tetras who were also collecting the worms. He did this at least a dozen times and before each dash he would tilt. 

I am currently waiting to hear back from The Wet Spot, but the rest of the fish will go in Wednesday if they get back to me in time and we finish all the arrangements. I might also spend Wednesday morning doing some plant moving, but we'll see. At very least the Cabomba and Tiger Lotus needs a trim.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Rush3737 said:


> Another interesting thing happened. When I fed bloodworms on Saturday I saw the Angel get very aggressive for the first time. He has an interesting quirk too, where he tilts to a 45 degree angle before dashing at the tetras who were also collecting the worms. He did this at least a dozen times and before each dash he would tilt.


 
I've noticed this with all the angelfish I have ever kept. When it's a "normal" chase, they stay upright. but when they really mean it, they lean over and charge. Glad to hear it's asserting itself.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

So I take it you don't think it will actually harm the tetras? I hope not, don't want to see them or any of the other coming additions get too beat up!


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Rush3737 said:


> So I take it you don't think it will actually harm the tetras? I hope not, don't want to see them or any of the other coming additions get too beat up!



I don't think so. In my experience, angels are territorial and aggressive, not violent.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Ended up doing some plant moving. 




























Firstly I spread the plants in the back out more evenly to give them each a bit more space. Then I moved the smaller plants that were right of the driftwood forward as foreground plants for now. Then I cut the Sunset Hygrophilia in half and placed it to the right of the driftwood. Finally I moved the Scarlet Temple in front of the driftwood. As long as it grows a bit the color it has could make a fantastic centerpiece plant.

At this point I've had the entire back row pearling, as well as the tiger lotus (which is almost constantly pearling it seems), the Sunset Hygrophilia, and a little bit from the Scarlet Temple.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Well, if you had told me years ago I'd eventually spend $240 at one time on fish I'd say you were [censored][censored][censored][censored]ing nuts.

Today I ordered the 3 Pearl Gourami, 6 Roseline Sharks, 6 Dwarf Chain Loaches, and 4 non-common Cory's for my barb tank now that it no longer has the Raphael or Red Tail to help clean things up.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Fish are here and in separate buckets getting ready. Ran into a problem though. My 30g filter won't actually fit over the lip of the 75g tank. So I've ordered an AquaClear 50 for it. I figure I'll take some media from the AquaClear 50 on my 29g tank to help it seed. And of course I'll be monitoring the 75g tank closely until and after it arrives.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

And of course in the time it took me to write that the male gourami managed to jump out of his bucket. At least now he seems to have settled down after realizing outside the bucket isn't a nice place, just hope he's alright.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Sorry for the poor pictures with this post, but all I have is my camera phone.

Firstly, the box is here, SQUEE!









The Wet Spot had expensive shipping, but box was lined with Styrofoam and had heat packs and each species was packages individually, and they obviously do know what they're doing on that end of things. 









Pearl Gouramis. The dark one is the one who had jumped out. 5g bucket was at a 45 degree angle and he was thrashing around. He managed to hop a good 8-10" out of the bucket onto the counter, at which point he must have flopped down about 3-4 feet onto the carpeting. When I found him he wasn't moving, but seemed to be fine when I put him back into the water. Thankfully the cat didn't hear anything and stayed on the bed instead of coming to visit. 









Bad pic, but Dwarf Chain Loaches.









Rosline's.









And for other tank, C. Habrosus.









I know this isn't for this tank, but the C. Habrosus are freaking tiny! And I know that my fish should leave them alone, but I am afraid their tiny size might end up being their downfall.









And for the tinyness of the Habrosus, the Pearl's are freaking huge! I'm glad I decided on these guys, really awesome looking fish and a nice contrast to the comparable sized Angel.

















LOVE the Dwarf Chain Loaches. Even if they end up not eating snails for awhile because of their size I'm thrilled I went out of the way to get these guys instead of more common loaches. They'll stay relatively small and just look fantastic. And their personality is said to be better than other loaches, but time will tell on that.









And finally the Roseline's. Couldn't really get a good picture of them, but they seem to be having the hardest time adjusting. Slowly though they are swimming more and more throughout the tank.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Looking good! Wish I knew you were ordering from them, I have been eyeing up a few fishes from them. We could have split the shipping.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Ah crap, that sucks. When I eventually set up my 55g tank I'll likely do another order from them, so if you haven't ordered by that point we can go that route.


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## MrAlmostWrong (Jul 16, 2012)

I love my dwarf chain loaches. Definitely the more active fish in my 45 and always playing with each other and the other fish.


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## LB79 (Nov 18, 2011)

Rush3737 said:


> Ah crap, that sucks. When I eventually set up my 55g tank I'll likely do another order from them, so if you haven't ordered by that point we can go that route.


I'm fortunate enough to live two hours from the Wet Spot, and let me tell you, there's no place to buy fish from that's better! The place is simply epic.


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## kribkeeper888 (Oct 8, 2011)

LB79 said:


> I'm fortunate enough to live two hours from the Wet Spot, and let me tell you, there's no place to buy fish from that's better! The place is simply epic.


Waa you stole my line my accursed best friend. Yeah the place is awesome, good choice.


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## AguaTropical (Apr 3, 2013)

Rush3737 said:


> The Wet Spot had expensive shipping, but box was lined with Styrofoam and had heat packs and each species was packages individually, and they obviously do know what they're doing on that end of things.


Good to know!! I am planning on ordering from the Wet Spot in the future. I'd rather pay more for shipping for the sake of fish alone haha


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Any updates?


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## Couesfanatic (Sep 28, 2009)

I live 15 minutes from the Wet Spot, I probably go there too much. haha


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Hi guys, when LGD texted me last week it reminded me I've been neglecting this place and I wanted to give an update. I've been switching some plants around and recently received a HUGE Amazon Sword from LGD and once things start taking hold in their new homes I will take a few photos. 

I've been battling for a couple of weeks with string algae, and spend a few minutes every few days picking it away from my plants. I've played with my lighting and haven't really found any solutions. When I met LGD at a LFS I ended up getting a trio of Flying Foxes, not just because they might help, but because they look great with the Roseline Sharks I have. 

However this did get me thinking more about a natural solution to my problems, which has recently started to include a small amount of BBA. Doing some research it seems Nerite Snails are the solution, and should be too big for my Dwarf Chain Loaches to mess with. And although those loaches haven't eliminated the pond snail population, they've effectively kept the tank clean of eggs and have reduced the population to a handful. I found a good deal on Aquabid and am getting 20 Olive Nerite's, and will put 15 in this tank, leaving 5 to clean my other tank. 

And I am VERY happy to report that this tank has been almost casualty free. Two of the nine Tetras died, but the Koi, Plecos, Gouramis, Red Tail Shark, Raphael Catfish, Roseline Sharks, and Dwarf Chain Loaches are all accounted for.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

How's the sword working out? Rest of the tank?


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

longgonedaddy said:


> How's the sword working out? Rest of the tank?


Been a kind of lazy with the tanks as of late, and was kinda annoyed as for the longest time I couldn't figure out what was wrong with my CO2 system. I think I finally found the leak, and have started getting the tank back in good working order. For awhile I had only Seachem Excel for CO2, and at the end of the day only the Sword, Red Tiger Lotus, Scarlet Temple, and some very small Cabomba has been left standing. The surprising thing is while there is some (I think) BBA on the driftwood, other algae has seemed to disappear. 

On the plus side, the Olive Nerite Snails did a great job cleaning my small tank, but I didn't get enough for the big tank I think, so I just ordered 30, 25 of which will go in this tank. I also just got a pant package from someone here to help with the revitalization of that end of the tank.

The fish at least have been great through everything. For whatever reason the tetras didn't quite like the tank and are down to 6 from the original 9, but the rest are doing great. The Roseline's are definitely the best group of fish (Koi is still the standout) in the tank. They've gotten bigger, bright colored, and love to move around. Also love the Pearl's as they look great, and the Dwarf Chain Loaches eliminated the pond snails as planned and look great darting around the bottom. I think all 6 of them are alive, but can usually only count 4 or 5 at one time, though every few months it seems I get a glimpse of the full set.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Okay, long overdue update. For the longest time I was on a pretty crappy autopilot, but recently have put a lot of time and money into revamping the tank. CO2 is running great and I built my own reactor. Added a bubble counter back to the setup, got the indicator working again, and now have great CO2 with no leaks for the first time. That got me to the point of some serious pearling.











With that squared away I've started to procure some more plants. I've weeded out some things that weren't doing great, and others I didn't like, and cut back the Sword considerably just to make room for plants to grow under it and with it. Also did a complete enearthing of most of my plants with an idea in mind of how I wanted things and where they would go. 










In that image, you have Scarlet Temple in the front, with new Hydrocotyle Sp. Japan laced in the area which I hope will grow to provide a nice contract. In the back left there is (I believe) Rotala indica, Star Grass (quite possibly misidentified), Cabomba (going to need to get the red stuff back eventually), Limnophila aromatica and the cut back Amazon sword.











On this side I've moved and turned the drifwood, and replaced my old heater with a Jager Eheim. The plant in the back is Giant Ambulia, and to the left of the driftwood is my Red Tiger Lotus, and to the right is I think Hemianthus glomeratus. I expect the Tiger Lotus will soon be a much darker color as it once was. 











I have just now installed a second diamond plate fixture, and am hoping I can keep them suspended off the tank. In the very front left I have a Java fern incoming. In the valley where the Tiger Lotus is I plan on planting Ludwigia Ovalis. I think it will go nicely with the Tiger Lotus. I'm REALLY hoping that next to the Java fern I can finally successfully grow some Blyxa. And finally, in the big open area in the middle I am going to rip [censored][censored][censored][censored] or bust finally make a carpet out of something. Currently I have a 2x2" bit of HC incoming. 










Finally, you can see my new reactor, and with the need to have two timers going and [censored][censored][censored][censored] everywhere I installed one of those ridiculous work bench type power strips. 

Current inhabitants are:
6 Roseline Sharks (No casualties!)
4 Blue Tetras (originally 9, feel really bad that they suffered so many losses.)
4 Dwarf Chain Loaches (originally 6, and if I ever place a Wet Spot order again, I'll get 6 more)
3 Pearl Gouramis (All good!)
3 Flying Foxes (All good!)
2 BN Plecos (All good!)
1 Koi Angelfish 
1 Raphael Catfish
1 Purple Glo Tetra

That last one was not my idea, gf fell in love with "Penelope Pearl"


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Oh, and I forgot one of my longest held fish:
1 Red Tailed Shark
And a dozen or two Olive Nerite Snails.

The Olives do a great job cleaning the tank, but something in my water must not be good for them, as there shells seem to get damaged over time. The Red Tail Shark has never been aggressive before, but recently if the Foxes try to nibble in the area where he is at he will chase them around for a bit. I've heard stories of Red Tails becoming problems as they get older, and I hope he doesn't get bad.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Good plan Rush! Glad you see you didn't give up on this.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

And here we are today with the new plants in. Now it's time to sit back and watch stuff grow. Only some of the rear stems should really require much trimming any time soon.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Could use some suggestions on lighting and ferts quick. Currently I'm running the two diamond plate lights about 5" above the tank for 9 hours a day, from 9am to 6pm. I've been experiencing some (what I think is) BBA. While it is mainly on my driftwood and filter outflow (which I just yesterday started a spot treatment on), it is also moving in on some plants, though as a much finer coat, especially my beloved Scarlet Temple. 

I use Nilcog's dry ferts and his recommended doses, so I doubt there is an issue there, but have ordered a Phosphate test kit to be sure. I will also test for Nitrates tomorrow. 

But I think the real problem is likely lighting. Is 9 hours too much? If so, here is my big issue. The tank is in the bedroom, sitting 2 foot or so from 3 big windows. The windows have very old roll down type blinds or whatever they are on them, but it does let a decent amount of light in during the morning. Because of this I figured I'd start the lights as early as possible (without getting me up too early on days off), which is 9am. Even as it stands now I only enjoy the tank for 2 hours after work. Would it be okay to let the tank get more bits of sunlight in the morning and turn the lights on later, or would I be making things worse?


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

Your problem is either lighting, co2, or too many ferts.

I've noticed that if I do not have a thickly planted tank and I dose as if I had that kind of plant mass algae comes on strong for me, but if I increase the total plant mass or dose less I have far less algae.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Thanks Herp, I'll hopefully solve the ferts questions when my Phosphate test kit comes tomorrow, or perhaps this afternoon when I'm able to test for Nitrates.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

In order to improve the look of the fish in my main tank, I'm thinking of dong the following:

-Selling the Flying Foxes (neat fish, but they don't clean much algae, and they wouldn't like my other tank)
-Moving Tetras and Red Tailed Shark to another tank (a move simply to allow for greater bioload)
-Adding 6 more Dwarf Chain Loaches, 6 otos, and 10 small rasboras. The Dwarf Chain loaches I love, and would be even better in a larger school. Otos would help clean my algae a lot better. Snails do great on rocks and glass, but not so much my stem plants. And finally I lack any really active small top half of tank schooling fish. Tetras don't really pop much in this tank, and aren't very active. They will likely enjoy my other tank more, and look nicer there as well.

Thoughts?

New stock would look like this:









Edit: And as for the warnings with the Angelfish, he's not had any issues with the loaches, so I don't suspect there would be any with the rasboras either.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Got my Phosphate test kit in today and it goes to 10ppm... well, I'm a day after a 50% water change and it's well above 10ppm. So I'm going to cut back on ferts for awhile.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Well, I set up my order today, with a few minor changes in numbers, and here is what the tank will look like when fish arrive on Wednesday...

1 x Angelfish
1 x Raphael Catfish 
2 x BN Pleco
3 x Pearl Gourami
6 x Roseline Sharks
6 x Otos
10 x Harlequin Rasboras
10 x Dwarf Chain Loaches

Plant wise I am very happy with my growth, but need to take some time battling the BBA that is hurting many plants. Spot treatment is helping, I'm doing 8ml of Excel every other day. Unfortunately I only do two spots with that amount, so my fert levels need to decrease and that just has to continue. 

I've eliminated one plant and properly ID'd some others (thanks to people here), and tomorrow I will try and get an updated layout uploaded with proper plant IDs.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Well, here is the tank after a slight plant move.










Java fern doesn't seem to be doing much in the front right corner. Really wish I'd see those leaves at least start to improve in quality. The Red Ludwigia in front of the Red Tiger Lotus seems brittle, and is not rooting quickly, but maintains a very nice color. Giant Ambulia behind that is 100% weed, but a very nice looking weed. 

In the back right half, the Rotala grows very weird, but very quickly. The aromatica might be my favorite green plant, takes up a good bit of space and grows well. Love it. And of course the sword is staying well and takes up the corner nicely.

In front of the DW is a little Cabomba, and then the HC.. doesn't seem to do much, but hasn't died yet, so we'll see. The Hydrocoytle on the other hand is growing nicely, and whenever it gets too high I plant it more and that will likely be my main carpet plant for that big open area in the middle. BBA is on my scarlet temple, but between removing doomed leaves and spot treatment I hope to save all the plants. Finally, behind that is the Ludwigia ovalis. Seemed the bottoms were dying away, so I cut them down a lot when I replanted, hoping for the best.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Busy day for the tank today. Did a 60% water change and cleaned both filters, replacing the foam on my HOB, and starting one of the Purigen packs in my canister soaking. An hour after the remaining purigen again has the tank crystal clear, and as always the plants are pearling like crazy. 

Now the scary part. Knowing I must have been going overboard on ferts with the standard 60-80 gallon EI dosing I didn't do any ferts the two prior days (one day of macro, one of micro), and did that big water change today. My nitrate still sits at around 40ppm, and my Phosphate is still above 5ppm. 

My plan is to cut out the next two days of ferts, and then go to a reduced dosing. Normally for macros I would do .75 tsp KNO3, .1875 tsp HS2PO4, and .25 tsp K2SO4. The first step is reducing those levels to .7, .1, and .25 tsp of each, which should give make the levels more even with each other. My next step is mixing up liquid ferts (just got the stuff for this), making up the bottles as if to dose 30, 45ml portions. Then I will simply start of dosing at 30ml instead, increasing if needed. I will use this second step on micros as well. 

Then fish come Wednesday...


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Looks like a good plan! I love how the angel has matured.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Yeah, he's always been a wonderful part of the tank. And let me tell you, with how he begs for food, I might as well have a dog.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Okay, so here are some issues with my fish change ideas. First, here is the idea for this tank I posted earlier: 

1 x Angelfish
1 x Raphael Catfish 
2 x BN Pleco
3 x Pearl Gourami
6 x Roseline Sharks
6 x Otos
10 x Harlequin Rasboras
10 x Dwarf Chain Loaches

I actually forgot to list one potential problem in that, my Red Tailed Shark. Now, there's a story here. When I first got into fish, I had (and still do have) a 29g tank. Not knowing much I went through 3 of these guys rather quickly, with no luck. Always loving them, when I joined here and started learning more and more I changed some things and decided to give it one more chance. He did really well, and then the move to the 75g. One of the first fish in after the fishless cycle, and has done great in it. Well, as I often hear people saying can happen, he's getting more and more aggressive. If someone eats algae near him, he chases them clear across the tank. When I get the new fish the tank will be stocked full. I'm afraid he'll be constantly chasing other fish and stressing them out. And moving him to another tank would be tough because... we'll get to that.

The second problem is I have 5 Tetras and don't know what tank I will want them in. 

For starters, here what the other tank will have for sure.

1 x Pictus Catfish
4 x Bronze Cory's
10xSnakeskin Barb

This tank I plan on converting to a low-tech planted affair. I know the Pictus and plants might not get along, but he's another sentimental value fish. I'm finding it hard enough to give away all the barbs currently in the tank to do this. Anyway, I'm afraid there won't be much algae in this tank for the Red Tailed, and it wouldn't really solve any aggression problems anyway. On the Tetra front, 4 were a gift, and 1 was the only fish my gf picked out. In either tank they would make things overstocked, but I'm not sure which would be best. I'm leaning towards the 29g to give it more character. The Snakeskin barbs are, btw, much more peaceful than other barbs.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Well, I guess I'm going to need to build a trap. Was able to get out 1 Flying Fox. Tetras would have been super easy to catch, so I think I will end up moving them to the other tank. And I've decided the Red Tailed Shark is definitely getting too aggressive and will be removing him as well.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Fish came this morning!



















All the fish were swimming around, Dwarf Chain Loaches blended right in with their current brethren as the ones I've had over a year really haven't grown much at all. Otos looked OK, but in the acclimation process one must have been a little overwhelmed, as he only made it two hours in the tank. I've always heard they were very sensitive to transport and new tanks. Hopefully there are no more causalities through the night. The Rasboras have been very active since being added to the tank, and you can tell how well they recovered from the transport stress. In the bag they were practically see through, and 10 hours later look great. 



















And finally the Otos. Not a picture of it happening, but the first one out of the bag went and immediately layed on the Auromatica.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Been having some major issues with BBA and other algae, likely related to too much or too little of something in my water or fert regamine. If you have any advice to help please visit this thread: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=576114

Also, just got myself a Dutch Build My LED fixture... nice unit, and lots of light.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Wow that new light really brings out the colors in everything!


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Yeah that new light is sweet, great colors. Tank looks really nice.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Thanks guys, I'm really liking the light. I've already raised it about 2" to get better light across the top of the tank, which was the only thing really missing. My biggest issues at the moment are fighting BBA, and figuring out why some of my plants aren't doing well, most notably my frogbit and red root floaters. The former I've grown pretty much as long as I've had the tank to a degree that I didn't think it was possibly to kill them. However now they are looking tattered and not really multiplying much.


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## Positron (Jul 22, 2013)

Hey man. Nice looking light. I currently, like you did, have 2x diamond plate lights. I'm right now about to upgrade to a BML...either the dutch or the 10k and I can't decide. I really like the look of the dutch on that 75, though. 

Also, I know you have probably heard it before, but have you pushed co2 to it's limits yet? With that much light good co2 is very important.

I've also added 0.75ppm Urea to my 75g to address some nitrate uptake issues and things have freaking exploded. BBA is turning red!


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Well, the tank looks great with the Dutch, but I've never seen the 10k in person to compare it to, so it's tough to give you a definite recommendation. 

I actually have two drop checkers in the tank now to double check my readings and make sure CO2 is where it needs to be. I use KNO3, and I think that would do the same thing as Urea, yes?

Anyway, I've spent so much time worrying about things I wanted to post a picture from today and comment on the one thing I'm VERY happy with finally.










I had tried several plants, with very little success to make something that resembled a carpet. Finally I now have one I'm happy with. Sure, it takes some trimming, but the Hydrocotyle that you see in the picture started as I think 10 tiny little strings. 

I've also removed, cut back and re-planted my Scarlet Temple to fully remove the algae it had. I also took out the worst of the Aromatica. That back corner will look a little empty for awhile, but if everything grows back in well the tank will really start to look how I've hoped.


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