# First Planted tank build - 40g Breeder



## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

Hello, and welcome to my build thread. First of all let me say that I am excited to try my hand at planted tanks. I have been keeping aquariums for more than 15 years, but have not yet attempted a planted tank. I currently have three systems up and running, a 34 gallon freshwater community tank, a 90 gallon mixed reef tank, and a custom 3 gallon mixed reef tank. While I can't say that I have mastered the art of reef keeping, I have been quite successful.

This journey has now brought me to the world of planted tanks. Here I plan to share with all of you my plan for this upcoming project and hopefully benefit from the vast amount of knowledge that exists on this forum. Let's get on with it then.

The Plan:

I purchased a 40 gallon breeder tank about 2 weeks ago, at the $1 a gallon sale, to be used for this endeavor. Since that time I have been lurking on this and other sites gathering as much knowledge as possible, and have purchased what I believe to be everything I need to get started, though I plan on making more purchases in the future. Here is a list of the current things that I have now, or are on thier way to me.

- 40g breeder tank
- AquaTop CF400UV canister filter
- Pressurized Co2 system w/Milwaukee regulator and PH controler, 5# Co2 tank, and DIY inline downflow Co2 reactor.
- Glass drop checker w/4dkH solution
- Odyssea 36" quad T5 light fixture w/6500k bulbs
- 300W inline heater
- UP Aqua Soil
- Pruning scissors
- forceps
- Flourish, Flourish Excel, Flourish Iron, Flourish Potassium, Flourish Nitrogen, Flourish Phosphorus, and Flourish root tabs.

The only thing that I know is missing is a stand. I hope to have one built by the end of the week. Other future plans include an Auto top-off/water change system, and automatic dosing pump system.

I did A LOT of research on different soils for the tank. For a long time I was planning on using the ADA Substrate System, but simply cannot afford it. In my research I came across Green Leaf Aquariums and the UP Aqua Soil and decided to order it. I know that the ADA soil is better, but I think that I can still have fantastic results with the UP soil.

Hopefully, I will be ready to actually set this tank up in the next 2 weeks. At that point I was planning on getting some help with the design and layout of the tank. I found a company called Aquariumplants.com that will design my system and send me all of the plants. Being that I don't know much about the various plants, I thought this might be the way to go. Any thoughts on this or if you have used this service, please let me know.

Thanks for checking out my build thread. There will be more to come in the future, including LOTS of pics. Please feel free to post comments and/or suggestions!!


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## Trickerie (May 10, 2012)

Hello and congrats on getting started on your first planted tank  You seem to have everything you need, but here are a few things you can consider (my random thoughts):

The Odyssea lights aren't that very high quality, and while they will probably work, id look more into this thread: 
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=105774
Measure the distance from your substrate (calculate how many cubic inches it will take up, since its not in yet) to the bottom of your fixture. Decide what quality your reflectors are using the guide in the above thread. Then, based on this information ensure you have enough light for the plants you want to grow. Of course since you have pressurized co2 you should be ok, even with low light. This is more of a heads up than anything.

Flourish line. Waste of money! They are OK as starter products, but I'd highly recommend looking into dry ferts. Green Leaf Aquariums, which you are already familiar with has all the dry ferts you will need. It will cost you a fraction of the cost per year to buy dry ferts and dose your method of choice (Estimate Index or PPS Pro)

As for plants and hardscape, I'd say do it yourself! The best way to learn about different plants, how to scape, etc is to get your hands dirty. Your first tank might not look like an Amano but you will certainly learn from it and your next tanks will be better and better. If you want inspiration, just check out Takashi Amano's work


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## if_fishes_were_wishes (Jul 29, 2007)

You'll hear a lot of different opinions on the Odyssea - I love mine! I love it so much I added another for my 13 gallon tank. The one I have now is strong enough to grow corals in my mini reef. No, the reflectors aren't the best, but I'm happy with them for the $$ I paid.

I would add another filter - I can't say it enough, but the more the merrier. Aquaclears are nice, cheap and reliable. There's great prices on Amazon.

You could post on the Swap n Shop forum what your specs are and someone would create a package for you - there's a lot of high volume sellers here who would be happy to help you out with plant packages, manzanita/stone packages and you could get scaping tips from the tank journal forum. 

That may be cheaper than using the Aquariumplants service. I've seen threads where the poster says they have xxx dollars to spend and they would like to get plants/hard scape for that amount.

Also, the more plants, the better! Growing "weeds" is a very satisfying thing and the fish love them 

Good luck...40 breeders are a nice, versatile size, not too big and not too small.


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

I think that I have decided to all of the planting and scaping on my own. I already have a few ideas that I would like to impliment. Hopefully they are as effective in reality as they are in my imagination.

I have been pretty happy with the Odyssea fixtures that I have used in the past. I actually have an Odyssea fixture over my 90g Reef tank and could not be happier. I have had a number of people tell me that I would only need 2 T5 bulbs for this tank, but I decided to go with 4 because I can always use only 2 if needed and it was only $100 shipped, and has the timers built in.

As far as filtration, the CF400 is rated at 350gph (if I remember correctly) so I figure about 275 in reality. It is my understanding that a health planted tank does not really need filtration as it is already a big biological filter in itself. I plan on using the canister to power my Co2 reactor, create some flow in the tank, and add space for additional biological filtration. I don't plan on using any chemical filtration, just a filter pad or two and bio media.

Please feel free to correct me if any of the things I just said are not correct. Everything that I know about this, I have learned from reading threads just like this one.


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## if_fishes_were_wishes (Jul 29, 2007)

I have 600 gph from 3 filters in my 55. Water flow is always a good thing, as is extra filtration. Never hurts  When I had a 40 breeder set up, I had 2 Eheims on it, one at each end. 

With a reef, I have read that filtration can simply be thru the sand or live rock, but with a freshwater planted tank, you need it in some form.

The filters house the beneficial bacteria on the media and the gravel does too. The more beneficial bacteria there is to break things down, the better.

Also, having 2 filters means you never have an issue with accidentally wiping out your beneficial bacteria when you clean your one filter. I clean one filter at a time and rest easy knowing the colonies are intact on the other 2.

You'll be fine with what you have, but if you ever want more flow, that'll be a big plus!


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

I guess that i will wait and see what the flow is like in the tank once I have it set up. The filter is only $100 shipped, so I can always add another if it is needed.


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## flight50 (Apr 17, 2012)

You can't go wrong with a $40 dollar purchase for a 40g tank. I just picked up 4 myself. For a 40g, it really won't take much ADA soil. 2 bags tops if that. Depends on your intended depth. I have heard that the UP soil will break down in a year or so. Some have had success. If not ADA aquasoil you could have used MTS (Mineralized top Soil) its a sticky. You can make mass amounts pretty cheap. Plus you won't have to dose much fertilizer at all. 

Aquariumplants.com is awesome. Currently that is the only place I purchase plants from. Good quality. Their "worlds best co2 regulator" is top notch. Pricey but I don't regret spending the amount for it.

I agree with creating your own setup. Paying someone else to do it is a waste IMO. Plus it takes the fun away from you and you will feel like the tank isn't yours, your just maintaining it. Chances are you will change up the aquacape anyways at some point from what they come up with. Put that money to some other use with your build.

I second the dry fertz. Although I haven't gotten into it yet for I still have some of the seachem products left over from my purchase last year. It gets expensive and your paying for something your already paying for:water. Their line is mostly water and your paying for shipping for lesser amounts of nutrients in comparison to dry fertz. Had I known about dry fertz a year ago, I would have switched then.

All in all I think you will find going planted can be visually just a pleasing a reefs setups. There is a thread on "why we have planted and not reefs" from a few months ago. It was pretty entertaining I thought to read thru and comment. Depending on your intents, going planted can have a higher return for your investment. Welcome to the planted side.


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

Good to hear about aquariumplants.com. I already have a couple of things on my list that I plan to order from them. The first will be a mat of HC. I think that I am going to do a dry start with the HC and then add other plants when I flood the tank. 

As for the soil, According to ADG I would need 2 9L bags of Aquasoil which is not bad, but I was looking at using the entire substrate system if I went with the ADA soil. This meant that with the soil, Power Sand, and all of the other things that you add below and on the soil it would have cost about $200-250 for the system. Knowing that tanks can be successful with less expensive soils, I could not justify spending that on the soil alone.

I also think that I will be ordering another CF400uv filter for the tank. I was expecting the spray bar to reach further across the tank. It only reaches less than half way. I figure that if I order another of the same filter I can ensure the same flow throughout the tank, plus I will have intakes in both back corners. With the spray bars the flow should be pretty gentle as well, I hope.

I am planning on getting the basic skeleton of the stand built this afternoon, as long as the weather holds out long enough for me to get the lumber today. I will post pics as soon as I am able to get working on it.


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## flight50 (Apr 17, 2012)

There are several threads on this site alone about ada aquasoil and others as comparisons. One big debate was the use of the power sand. Is it needed or not. Basically no. Aquasoil alone is a great substrate. Most of their products can be left on their shelf. If you purchased just the soil that is already several steps above other substrates.

I use to keep trying to convince myself to use cheaper substrates for my 180g build but everything keeps pointing me back to ada aquasoil the more I go thru these threads. For my inhabitants, the type of tank material and the aquascaping layout, aquasoil has its name all over my build. Yes it can be expensive the larger the tank. One must do what ever is necessary to have a successful tank is what I like to say now a days. I am calculating about $300-$400 just in substrate so I am saving up now.

If you don't plan on having deep substrate or hills/slopes, I strongly advice you to take a look into MTS. Alot of people are using this with the dry start method with good results.


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

Just a couple of updates. I have received my canister filter, though as I said in my earlier post, I think I will be ordering another. I also spent some time working on my stand today. I had to stop because I ran out of bolts and unfortunately will not be able to get more for a few days. Hopefully I will be able to complete it next weekend. I also completed my DIY Co2 Reactor today. Here of some pics of the stand and the reactor.

The top and bottom:









2 of the support legs before bracing:









The almost complete "skeleton" of the stand. You can see that the front corner is not secured. This is where I ran out of bolts.









And my reactor, It is like 20" long:


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

Here are some pics of my other tanks. Not planted but I think they are beautiful anyway.

My 90 gallon Reef tank, about 6 months old:









My 34 gallon reef tank, this was running for about 2 years, but I broke it down about 2 months ago.









My 3 gallon reef tank, about 1.5 years old.


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## Siggav (Jun 29, 2009)

Your reef tanks are absolutely beautiful! I've been keeping low tech planted freshwater tanks for years now but haven't dared try out a marine one yet.

Anyway you'll enjoy your planted one, it's nice to work with all that green!  Sounds like you're all set and I can't wait to see how your tank ends up


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

Another quick update. Got most of the stuff for the tank in today. The only thing I am still waiting for, should be here tomorrow, is the inline heater. This is the list of everything that I have:

Aqueon 40 gallon breeder tank
Odyssea 36" 4x54W 6500k T5HO fixture w/built in timer
Aquatop CF-400UV canister filter
5# Co2 tank
Milwaukee Co2 Regulator w/solenoid and bubble counter
Co2 check valve
Milwaukee SMS-122 pH controller
Bubble counter fluid
2x9L bags of UP Aqua Soil
DIY inline downdraft Co2 reactor
Entire Flourish Line of ferts incl. root tabs
Glass Drop checker w/4dKh solution
API gH/kH test kit
Pruning Scissors
10" tweezers w/curved tips

Here are a couple of pics of everything. Let me know if you see anything that is missing, though I think I remembered everything.


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

I am also planning on getting another Aquatop CF-400UV canister filter. The only question I have concerning my current setup is whether 2 9L bags of Aqua Soil is going to be enough. I am concerned that I may need another bag. What do you all think?


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

Hey! My 40B brother! lol I'm looking forward to seeing what you do and just so you know Odyssea lights are great but I hope you're hanging your light way above your tank because 4x39W is a LOT of light.

I'm using one bulb in my Odyssea and still have about high light.


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

jeremyTR said:


> Hey! My 40B brother! lol I'm looking forward to seeing what you do and just so you know Odyssea lights are great but I hope you're hanging your light way above your tank because 4x39W is a LOT of light.
> 
> I'm using one bulb in my Odyssea and still have about high light.


I am actually planning on running just 2 bulbs at a time. If I find that I want or need more then I can turn on the other 2 bulbs. I may also have them all on for just a couple of hours in the middle of the day. I figure that with the pressurized Co2 I can really have fun with the lighting cycles. I am also planning on heavy planting from the start.


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

Ok, so I am starting the process of getting things in the tank. At this point I have the heater and Co2 reactor hooked up. I will still be getting another canister filter, but that will be a little while yet. I have the soil in the tank and am trying to figure out my scape. The plan is to do the tank in twi sections (as I have seen many times). I have purchased some sand to put in as a "river" that will separate the two parts of the tank.

As for planting, at the moment I am planning on a carpet of HC covering most of the tank. I plan to put a small rock or 2 on the smaller portion of the tank. In the larger part of the tank, I will either have a number of rocks of varying sizes, or a nice piece of driftwood and a rock or 2. If I go with just the rocks, the tank will basically be a nature aquarium. If I go with the drift wood I will have heavier planting to the back corner of the tank.


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

Now, my question. Where do you all get your rocks from? I am looked at MANY stores and so far have not found any rocks that I like. Do you find them at landscape supply places? I would like to get the rock so that I can button down the aquascape.


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

I find my rocks.

Sent from my HTC Evo 4G


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

I finally got the stand for my setup last night. It was custom made by a local reefer in the club I am in. I think it looks awesome! I put the substrate in this morning and should have the driftwood today. I ordered several small pieces of rosewood driftwood from aquariumplants.com and it is supposed to be delivered today. I still need to get the power center installed in the stand, put a background on the tank, and get all of the plumbing done. Then it is time for the plants. here are a few pics so far.


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## MagooWu (Aug 16, 2012)

I have had the Odyssea 36" x4 39W T5HO for about 6 months now on a 65 gallon tank and have been having many problems getting things to grow well and algae problems.

I thought with the poor reflectors that it would lose some light, but these still put out a lot of juice and found my problems all resulted in WAY too much light.

I've cut back to only running one set of lights at a time.
Not the fixtures fault, just didn't know what I was doing.

The lights work great for the price, the LED's are just OK.
I remember testing it (but could be wrong) but I believe a set will work even with 1 bulb removed.


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

I am a reefer turning planted guy. It is difficult to break old habits. It is hard to have too much light in a reef and so I have always been one to go overkill on things. 

On another note, I have a PAR meter and will be testing the light under various conditions in order to get the lighting just right.


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

lpsouth1978 said:


> I am actually planning on running just 2 bulbs at a time. If I find that I want or need more then I can turn on the other 2 bulbs. I may also have them all on for just a couple of hours in the middle of the day. I figure that with the pressurized Co2 I can really have fun with the lighting cycles. I am also planning on heavy planting from the start.


How high are your lights going to be above your tank?

Also, I'm not sure about this but I think that if you switch how much light you're using by turning on 78 more watts for a couple of hours, it will mess up your tanks balance maybe giving you algae problems. 

Maybe, I don't really know myself, just thinking.


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

I got my aquascaping pretty well buttoned down today. I added some sand and arranged the driftwood, though that may change. I also got the filter set up and got the Co2 system hooked up. I hope to have things ready for plants by the end of the week. I still need to get the background figured out and I want to order another filter, but they are sold out until sometime in Sept.


















I am planning on doing a carpet of HC on both sides of the tank. I am thinking about moving the driftwood from the right side of the tank and putting in a single broad leafed plant, like a java fern or a Hygrophilia corymbosa, I like that it flowers when it grows out of the water. I am open to suggestions on a good plant for this size tank. On the left side of the tank I am thinking of Zephyranthes Candida. I a, also looking for something else to go on that side of the tank, recommendations are welcome. Anything that goes in needs to be able handle warmer temps because I may put some discus in the tank.

Let me know what you think.


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

Alright, so I have had water in the tank for a little over a week. I want to get the temp, ph/gh/kh, and Co2 stable before adding everything. I boiled the driftwood pieces to get them to sink instead of float to the surface.

My problem is that the wood seems to be growing some sort of mold on it. I got the wood from aquariumplants.com so I would expect it to be good for an aquarium. What should I do? Here are a few pics of some of the wood.


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

Almost there!! I am finally getting everything in place and the install finalized.

I did a large water change last night, installed the new Aquatop CF500UV filter, and connected the Co2 reactor.

Today I got my new regulator. The one that I had previously purchased used off craigslist has a blown low pressure gauge and was leaking gas like crazy. I will get the Co2 connected and running tonight along with the surface skimmer that I bought.

The only thing missing now are the plants, which have been ordered and will be delivered next Fri. I placed the order yesterday with aquariumplants.com, the order includes:

12 - Potted HC
1 - Hygrophilia Corymbosa
6 - Crytocoryne Balansea
20 - Zephyranthes Candida (Dwarf Onion Plant)
6 - Rosette Swords

I know that is a lot of plants, But most are small and I want a HEAVILY planted tank from the start. The only things that I expect will be too many are the dwarf onion plants (they only come in groups of 10) and the Rosette Swords. I figure if I have too many It should be easy enough to find someone that will take the extras off my hands.


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention my big score the other day. I had previously bought a 5lb Co2 canister that did not have a current hydro stamp on it. When I went to exchange it the other day the place only had 20lb tanks in stock and told me that I would have to come back another day, which I didn't want to do.

I asked them if there was a way to upgrade to a 20lb tank, something they DON'T usually do. They must have been in a generous mood, because they agreed to do it. The best part was that they only charged me the cost to exchange for a 20lb canister plus hydrotest charge. In all it cost me $50 to "purchase" a 20lb Co2 canister. I was THRILLED! I basically got a 20lb canister for the cost of a refill. I don't think the guys realized that they just gave me a $200 canister in exchange for a $50 canister.


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

Let There be life!!

I could not wait another week to get all of my plants from Aquariumplants.com, so I went out this weekend and got a few plants from the LFS. They are not much and will probable go to another tank later, but they give some life to the tank and I am happy with my SMALL investment. I can't wait to get the rest of my plants and REALLY get my tank scaped. By the way, I am using just 2 of the bulbs on my fixture. I still need to test PAR, but things seem to be doing well so far.


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

Nice man I like it!

Sent from my HTC Evo 4G


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

What fish do you plan to keep?

Sent from my HTC Evo 4G


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

I am still undecided on the fish. I had originally thought about Discus, but I don't want to cramp them in my little tank so they are out. I am always open to suggestions.

I have also been thinking about angels, rainbows, and neon or cardinal tetras, though not necessarily all in the same tank. Let me know if you have any other suggestions for me.


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

Here is a tentative Fish stocking list. Let me know what you think. Also remember that my tank has 2 large canisters on it, that are each capable of filtering my tank on their own, and it will be a VERY heavily planted tank come Fri.

Cardinal Tetras x 25
False Julii Cory Cats x 10
Otocinclus Catfish x 5
Blue Angelfish x 3


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## PinkRasbora (Jan 22, 2005)

Hope you get a breeding pair of Angels. =]

And usually us plant people start plant then move to marine tanks. you kinda went backwards! hehe


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

Yeah, I know. To be honest, I think that should be the progression, freshwater fish only-Saltwater fish only-Saltwater reef-planted tank. 

I think this will require more work than any of my reef tanks ever did. I will need to do just as many water changes, trim plants regularly, monitor Co2, dose ferts, etc. So far, at least for me, a reef tank is a walk in the park in comparison to a planted tank. 

In the reef you just supply A LOT of light, good flow, skim heavily, and do regular water changes and your all set. Plus you only have to "trim" (frag) your corals every few years, not every few weeks.


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## PinkRasbora (Jan 22, 2005)

Yea, well that is why alot of people go low tech after a high tech tank. Kinda makes u dizzy after awhile.


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## MrAlmostWrong (Jul 16, 2012)

I believe one of the plants in the back right is a type of Dracaena (maybe 'dracaena variegatus') and it isn't an aquatic plant. One of the more informed folks around here can correct me if I'm wrong. I have it in my aquariums, but more riparium style with the tops stick above water.


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

Yeah, Hoppy informed me, through another thread, earlier today that several of the plants currently in the tank were not aquatic plants. I actually took those out this evening when I got home from work. I have a whole boat load of plants on order and they should be here on Fri.


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

I got my plants from Aquarium plants .com yesterday and got them in the tank last night. Everything looks great and is doing well so far. There is a lot of O2 being produced already, in some cases a constant stream of tiny bubbles, and my HC is pearling A LOT. 

The only difficulty so far is keeping the Dwarf Onion plants down, they just want to float away. You can see them floating in the upper left corner of the tank. I you have any simple suggestions for keeping them down, please let me know.

I will post pics later, photobucket seems to be having issues at the moment.


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## detroit_fan (Aug 2, 2012)

Looking great so far! I too am coming from reef tanks to planted FW. looking forward to following this thread and see your tank progress.


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## xxUnRaTeDxxRkOxx (Jul 12, 2011)

The plants on the right side are actually common house hold plants known as Either White Ribbon plants or Yellow Ribbon plants. Either way they will not survive in an aquarium atmosphere, they'll start melting in about 4-7 days give or take, and when they melt they're notorious for wiping out the entire tank of all plants and fish.

They'll make your water smell a extremely horrific stench that may even kill you 
So I would take them out of your tank ASAP, otherwise you'll lose everything. But, you can grow them immersed with only the roots in the water, most people use them for terrariums, or a riparium.


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

xxUnRaTeDxxRkOxx said:


> The plants on the right side are actually common house hold plants known as Either White Ribbon plants or Yellow Ribbon plants. Either way they will not survive in an aquarium atmosphere, they'll start melting in about 4-7 days give or take, and when they melt they're notorious for wiping out the entire tank of all plants and fish.
> 
> They'll make your water smell a extremely horrific stench that may even kill you
> So I would take them out of your tank ASAP, otherwise you'll lose everything. But, you can grow them immersed with only the roots in the water, most people use them for terrariums, or a riparium.


I have already removed all of those plants from the tank. I did that the moment I learned they were not aquatic. Here are some pics of the tank taken earlier today.

P.S. - Any thoughts on keeping the dwarf onion plants down?


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## xxUnRaTeDxxRkOxx (Jul 12, 2011)

Only thing that comes to mind for the onion plants would be using zipties + plant weights, you can use a ziptie on each plant around the root area only, then use another ziptie then to link them together, and use plant weights to hold them down.

But you never want to fully cover the entire "onion bulb" because onion plants have been known to die when they're planted deep into the substrate. I only buried mine deep enough to where it left about a 1/4" to the top of the bulb itself and the growing "leaves" or w/e you want to call it is still able to grow at a steady rate.


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

***Update***

Thigs are doing well so far. Things are growing QUICK especially the HC. The only things that I am having trouble with are the Balansea and the Dwarf Crinum. Some of the Balansea are starting to melt toward the tips. I have been cutting out the melting tips and keeping it under control for the most part. As for the Dwarf Crinum, I have stil not been able to keep it down and it is floating at the top of the tank. I kope to get all of it anchored this weekend. 

I also added fish. I have 3 small Boesemani Rainbows and 21 Cardinal tetras. Here are a couple of pics of the tank. Past and current.

09/13/2012:












09/20/2012:












09/27/2012:


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## ccbeauch (Jul 29, 2012)

looks great so far! looking forward for good things to come in the future.


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

Here is a quick video I took of the tank this morning.

http://s1192.photobucket.com/albums...68E1AF1-1735-000001B6240741C5_zps4ed7cff2.mp4


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## Silmarwen (Sep 21, 2012)

I just wanted to say that your tank is lovely so far, I look forward to seeing more pictures as it grows in


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

Silmarwen said:


> I just wanted to say that your tank is lovely so far, I look forward to seeing more pictures as it grows in


Thank you.

I need a little help from all of you gurus on here. While Things are going well so far, I do have a couple of concerns. 

First of all I seem to have a little algae starting to grow. It is just minor right now, but I want to kick it in the butt before it becomes a problem.




















Second, I am pumping A LOT of Co2 into my tank. I have it set at about 8-10bps right now but it barely gets my drop checker to green and my fish still show no signs of stress. I use a 4dkH solution and 3-4 drops of API pH reagent. Co2 comes on about 2 hours before the lights and goes off about an hour before the lights. I am using a custom DIY Co2 reactor. You can see in the following picture that there is a TON of Co2 in the reactor.











I took this picture of the drop checker today after having the Co2 on for about 5 hours.










Now for the all important tank specs:

- 40b tank
- Aquatop CF400UV canister filter
- Aquatop CF500UV canister filter
- Hydor inline 300W heater
- Inline Co2 reactor
- UP Aqua Aqua Soil
- Injected Co2 system w/Milwuakee regulator and pH controller
- Odyssea 4x34W T5HO fixture (I only run 2 bulbs) 12 noon to 7pm
- Dose with Flourish Iron, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, Comprehensive, and Excel per reccomended dosages. I hope to change to EI dosing soon.
- 50% weekly water change using 50/50 RODI/Tap water.

Temple Plant
6 - Rosette Swords
2 - Java ferns
HC Carpet
3 - Balansea
3 - Dwarf Crinum

3 - Boesemani Rainbows
5 - small Otocinclus
21 - Cardinal Tetras

Any thoughts or recommendations are greatly appreciated.


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

Well, I had my first fish related setback with this tank today.

I have been trying to battle an algae outbreak, and it was suggested that I needed more Co2 because my drop checker was just barely getting a green color and the fish showed no signs of stress. This morning before leaving for work I turned up the Co2, what seemed to me, a little bit. 

Of course I am not able to come home during the day and so was unable to check how things were doing. On top of that I did not get home until about 9:30 pm. When I got home I immediately went to the tank to check on it and saw that all 3 of my Boesemani Rainbows were at the top of the tank gasping for air. Upon further inspection I found that 3 of my Ottos were gassed and dead, and the other 2 are barely holding on. My Cardinals do not seemed to be bothered at all. 

I immediately turned on my air pump and started the process of de-gassing the tank. Hopefully I was in time to save the 2 remaining Ottos and the Rainbows.


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

A Little weirdness and a new picture:

First off, with all the trouble with my Co2 levels I thought I would look at my drop checker this morning and found this after an entire night with an air pump and fine bubble air stone running.










It was yellow last night and I expected it to be more blue this morning.

Anyway, on to the new picture.

Day 1:











Day 8:











Day 15


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

Another weekly update. Things are good at this point. It seems that I finally have the Co2 at a good spot. The algae has all but stopped growing and is actually disappearing. Things are still growing nicely. The only problem at this point is the Angels eating my hygrophilia. Here is a new tank comparison.

Day 1











Day 22


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## PinkRasbora (Jan 22, 2005)

Looking great!!! 

in that Day 1 picture, are you growing Scallions? lol


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

Here are a couple of new pics of the tank. The tank has now been running for exactly 1 month. I think that it is doing VERY well thus far. The only fish losses have been my Otocinclus population. They seem to be SOOOOO sensitive to Co2 levels. All of them have now died, while none of the other fish even show signs of stress. 

On the other hand, as you can see, the plants have grown like CRAZY. I think it is about time to trim back the HC. I did not expect such incredible growth rates. Anyway, on to the pics. Keep in mind that the only plants that were added between these pics was some Cobamba, which you can see in the middle. Everything else was already in there.

Day 1:










1 Month:


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## reefboi16 (Oct 9, 2012)

Sick looking tank my reef brother. I took the same path you did. Fw fish only, SW fish only, reef and now planted. Working on setting up a 40b myself. It is a project in the making. Question, how do you keep your sand from stirring? Are your spray bars pointing upwards?


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

The spray bars are pointed toward the surface enough to create decent surface agitation. I honestly have not had any trouble with the sand at all. I guess that I have just been lucky.


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## manik (Jul 26, 2012)

reefboi16 said:


> Sick looking tank my reef brother. I took the same path you did. Fw fish only, SW fish only, reef and now planted. Working on setting up a 40b myself. It is a project in the making. Question, how do you keep your sand from stirring? Are your spray bars pointing upwards?


lpsouth, reefboi16... we're all in it together :icon_wink. I'm just now setting up my 40b this week as well. (Must've been the $1/g sale! lol) I too started FW fo, FOWLR, Reef (kinda) and now am again onto the planted (4th times a charm right?) Lpsouth, I'm diggen the scape. looks great with the HC growing in, give it a good trim. I'll keep watching the evolution of this one


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

It looks like it has been about 6 weeks since my last update. Things are doing well and still growing like crazy. I have already done several trimmings and need to trim the HC again. Here are a few updated pics.


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

It has been a couple of months since my last update, so here is a real quick one.

Not a lot has changed. I took out the Cobamba and have tried to keep up with trimming. The HC is a real pain to trim. I find clippings for days or even weeks after, clogging up my filter intakes. I am constantly cleaning off the intakes.

Also the temple plant grows like CRAZY!! I find myself trimming it 2 to 3 times a week. It is tarting to turn a really nice red color at the top of the plant. Mostly at the water surface. 

Here are a few new shots of the tank taken with my iphone this evening.

Full tank shot









Temple plant at the waters surface.









Angelfish Brothers


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

I know that it has only been a day since my las update, but I made some BIG changes to the tank today.

For a while now I have been getting frustrated with my HC carpet. It seems that it never really developed a good root system despite it's incredible growth. I would have to clean the intakes to my filters constantly and just waving a net over the HC would make chunks float away. So today I did some MAJOR trimming. Not just the HC, but the Temple plant as well. The only HC left in the tank is the little bit that had a good root system and would have required me to actually pull it our, rather than blow it away. Here is a before and after shot of the tank.

Before:










After:


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## Conrad283 (Dec 10, 2012)

I was a little jealous of your HC growing like that. I am having trouble with the HC rooting as well. Sorry to hear about your troubles. Tank looks great though.


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## zoragen (Nov 3, 2009)

So what are you going to plant in the open area?


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## PSO 3 (Dec 18, 2012)

I'm not Sure if I missed it or not but whats the name of the plant in the front left that covers the bottom. Thanks


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## lpsouth1978 (Jun 22, 2012)

That is the HC. Most of which has now been removed.


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## PSO 3 (Dec 18, 2012)

lpsouth1978 said:


> That is the HC. Most of which has now been removed.


Thnks man, and awesome tank, a lot better than mine


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## shiloh (Jun 10, 2011)

I've never used a proper co2 setup, so I'm no expert, but could the fact that your outflow is pointed at the surface be the cause of the low co2 concentrations? I would think this would cause significant dissipation.


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