# 180 gallon planted, week 1 - new pics June 25



## ingg (Jan 18, 2007)

Before showing, first, a BIG thank you to GWAPA. Couldn't have done it without you guys, thank you for all of the learning in the past year, all of the coaching, and all of the help in the layout and planting of this monster, too. 

Been up for a week. Had to do a huge water change yesterday because of some inline plumbing mistakes, hehe, but so far so good. Water is staying a little cloudy, I think it is green water waiting to explode...

Specs:

180g AGA Reef Ready tank.

2 TEK 6x39w T5 fixtures, running 8 of the 12 bulbs 9 hours a day
Pressurized CO2, 20 lb tank and Milwaukee regulator
Fed into inline loop powered by a MAGDrive 9.5
Filtration via Eheim 2260

Mineralized soil substrate capped with 3M T grade sand and 3M Accent Stone

I have yet to even think about fertilizing this tank. The mineralized soil substrate method has been used in the club many times now, and has many times resulted in tanks barely needing water column ferts, so, it is a wait and see for now.

Plants consist of:

"Low grow" Hygro
Hygrophile Corymbosa Angustifolia
Crypt Balansae
Crypt Spiralis
Crypt Parva
Crypt Wendtii 'Green Gecko'
Crypt Lucens
Crypt Willissii
Anubias Barteri
Anubias Barteri nana
Anubias Lanceolata
Bolbitis Heudulotti (sp)
Pogostemon Stellatus
Echinodorus Vesuvius

Tank shot:



Green Gecko and Lanceolata:



Center section, Anubias, Lutea, Low Grow Hygro, Parva



Echinodorus Vesuvius:


----------



## Fishonthebrain (Aug 15, 2007)

Wow, that looks so good now I can't imagine how great it will look after a few weeks of growth!

Thanks so much for posting this, I need inspiration!


I especially love the anubias, did you have those growing out for awhile before adding them to this tank? If not please spill where you bought them looking that good!


----------



## imeridian (Jan 19, 2007)

I agree, that's amazing for a week 1. I really like the driftwood arrangement too.


----------



## bigstick120 (May 23, 2005)

Its a real nice setup! Looks much better full of water now, I saw it with about 3 inches in it.
Growth looks pretty good, nothing melted away

Why is the diffuser so high?


----------



## ingg (Jan 18, 2007)

Diffusor isn't in use now, just haven't pulled it off the glass. I'd had some trouble with the inline loop and inline CO2 reactor, so was using the reactor in the meantime. Rebuilt the loop this weekend and fixed the errors, just haven't pulled the diffusor yet. 


Anubias was a gift months ago from a long distance GWAPA member Ben Belton. Been growing it out for several months in another tank - actually, all of the plants in here with the exception of the Vesuvius and Stellatus came from my other tanks. EDIT IN: Geez, that was nice of me - the low grow hygro was a gracious gift from a club mate as well.


----------



## Fishonthebrain (Aug 15, 2007)

ingg said:


> Green Gecko and Lanceolata:


I just got some manzanita with these bumpy roots as well and is this something dripping/oozing out of it? It almost looks like sap...

This is manzanita right? How long did you soak yours before adding it to an aquarium? 

BTW, I also love your wood placement!


----------



## ingg (Jan 18, 2007)

Yeah, it is still going through the slime release.

Soaked it for over a month with a couple of water changes, and those two pieces in back on the right still wanted to float! They are held down with some extra rock for now, hehe.


----------



## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

those bumps are the equivalent of cancer in humans similar to burl wood you see for sale.


----------



## Fishonthebrain (Aug 15, 2007)

ingg said:


> Yeah, it is still going through the slime release.


Wow, I have never even heard of slime release... gross. Is that stuff harmful to fish/inverts? 

Can anyone give me a link to this slime stuff info? I mean _what_ is it exactly?

VIA PM OF COURSE so I dont hijack the thread.


----------



## bigstick120 (May 23, 2005)

Not the slime, the knotty part of the wood is a disease. Its on the tree and is caused by stress, insects, or a fungus. I dont think it equlivant to cancer in humans necessarily


----------



## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

bigstick120 said:


> Not the slime, the knotty part of the wood is a disease. Its on the tree and is caused by stress, insects, or a fungus. I dont think it equlivant to cancer in humans necessarily


Thats what I have read. Now, not all knots persay, but "burls". Wouldnt you consider this a burl?


----------



## bigstick120 (May 23, 2005)

Yes its a burl


----------



## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

then it is similar to cancer in humans, that is what I have read..


----------



## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Ingg!!!   I am so happy to see you over here! I've missed you since I haven't taking the time to go elsewhere. I got my new 75! Look at what the guys here helped me select. Doing good?

Wow, does your tank look absolutely beautiful! The wood is fabulous. That is the kind of design I would love to have (but first, I need to actually make plants grow :biggrin.

What kind of wood is that? Do you mind telling me where you got it? I'd like to get some for my tank.

I'm very much looking forward to seeing your tank grow. It's so beautiful now, I can't imagine what it'll look like as it grows in!


----------



## Fishonthebrain (Aug 15, 2007)

bigstick120 said:


> Not the slime, the knotty part of the wood is a disease. Its on the tree and is caused by stress, insects, or a fungus. I dont think it equlivant to cancer in humans necessarily


I got that part, I was asking what the slime actually was, and if the slime specifically had any negative effects.

I feel really bad taking the focus off of this beautiful tank though. So if anyone has info they want to share PM it to me so that the emphasis ITT can be back on the OP and their aquarium.


Jess


----------



## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

I love the hardscape ingg fantastic!


----------



## moogoo (Dec 7, 2007)

Beautiful tank there ing, especially for week 1! Looks absolutely amazing. I wish I had a large tank, I would just put 2 massive schools in there with one or two large fish to scare the schooling fish into schools and watch with awe. 

Simply beautiful though.

@Fishonthebrain

I have something similar on my driftwood. Even after boiling the wood for hours upon hours (dumping and refilling every 2 hrs) and letting it sit and dry out, I had this "slime" develop on my driftwood. I looked it up and I got a lot of different answers. Most say it is some type of fungus, which is harmless to the fish and plants (as long as it doesn't cover them, I suppose). I've found some forum posts where people have had success in getting Otos and plecos to eat it to oblivion. I've got 2 otos in my tank right now, but they don't seem to really be touching the stuff. For now, I try to scrape and suck it up during water changes and hopefully it will just go away after awhile. It is pretty nasty stuff though. 

Ing, if you have more insight on this, I'd appreciate any tips! Sounds like you know what it is if you are aware of this "slime phase".


----------



## herosipet (Feb 4, 2008)

Wow! That tank look impresive ingg.
Keep us updated.


----------



## ingg (Jan 18, 2007)

> Beautiful tank there ing, especially for week 1! Looks absolutely amazing. I wish I had a large tank, I would just put 2 massive schools in there with one or two large fish to scare the schooling fish into schools and watch with awe.


That is pretty much my plan.

School of dwarf neon rainbows, have an absolutely incredible source within GWAPA, and a school of, umm, thinking Rathbuni Tetra. The Rinabows keep a pretty tight school by nature, and are definitely active enough to force tetras into a school on their own.

Some otos, nerites, and cherry shrimp galore. I really want to put my Taeniatus Nyete in there; sure they'll eat shrimp along with the bows picking off swimmers, but hoping the shrimp can outbreed it.


----------



## rasetsu (Oct 11, 2007)

LOVE the arrangement! Can't wait to see fish in there!


----------



## Coolpix (Aug 17, 2007)

Can you show me the pic of the light pendent ? Did you hang them to the ceiling with cables or using legs?


----------



## ingg (Jan 18, 2007)

I'll post up pics of the lighting rig. They are hung form the ceiling.

I bought the rails to pocket door kits, and cut them to length. I then attached chain to the little runner sets, and hung the lights from those runners. They are attached with bent up paper clips right now  because the standard hook bolts are too fat to fit into the holes in the runners - will eventually find hooks with a smaller screw top, just haven't found them yet!

It lets me slide the lights back out of the way to work on the tank, essentially. The kits were 10-15 or so, so it wasn't a bad deal at all, and takes a few minutes to screw into place.


----------



## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

I'd say the tank will be a real success over time.
You where wise in choosing the light and the plants.

By going the mineralize sediment, you will not have rely much on water column ferts. Cheaper than ADA AS, but a bit more work.

The only things you might consider is that as these weeds grow in, they will demand much more nutrients. You can prune etc, but you may need to add more ferts then, and if anything goes squirrley, you can consider adding Excel for a time. You'll get more out of the sediment's life that way as well.

The CO2 sounds very good with a Mag 9.5 running through it.
Most of these plants are river plants and like good CO2 and flow.

Well thought out tank.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


----------



## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

Well thought out and that hardscape is beautiful! (but I would try to make a gap between the center 'touching' branches) 

Subscribed. :thumbsup:


----------



## ingg (Jan 18, 2007)

*quick update*

Now two and a half weeks in.

No green water from the soil substrate yet, thanks UV!

Starting to see some slight green fuzz on the wood and only on the wood. Added another 8 nerites, 14 in there now. Added about 40 shrimp last night, let's see how many remain after a week - already found two in pieces from the pumps and one outright dead - tank might still be newish for shrimp, but we'll give it a try...





Early on, I decided not to run all 12 bulbs, I've been running 8x39, 9 hours a day. The one plant I was worried about getting enough light? The Stellata. Now 2" taller, and growing like a weed


----------



## ingg (Jan 18, 2007)

Almost forgot, I said I'd post my light rig.

As this is in the basement (80% done finishing it, lordy I'm tired ), the tank ended up under a bulkhead of the HVAC trunk. The ceiling was therefore dropped, so I had an easy hang from the ceiling to attach the lights to.

I went and bought the rail kits for a pocket door, and cut the rails to length. Screwed them in, and hung the chains from the little trolley that is supposed to attach to a pocket door.


----------



## tacks (Jun 19, 2006)

Ingg just a great looking tank. cant wait to see fish in there and some more plant growth. good luck Ed


----------



## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

What a wonderful flowing scape. I love your tank!

One thing to consider which I read recently from another nerite keeper is that they can possibly wear down anubias leaves to the point of creating holes. I believe the poster stated their anubias leaves were heavily covered with green spot algae.


----------



## ingg (Jan 18, 2007)

*Week 4 update*

Well, things are progressing pretty well! Haven't dosed a thing, tank has been up a month. Still running 8x39w in TEK fixtures 9 hours a day. Green spot Algae is hitting the glass and anubias leaves now, so I may start dosing some P soon.

I've started adding livestock. Cherry shrimp are in, about 50 of them. Hald dozen Amanos, dozen nerites, 6 otos, a small school of about 20 pygmy cories who are impossible to photo for me.

I also got my first school in place! I've been waiting a while now to get some stock from a local club mate, a really nice gentlemen who happens to have line bred the first female Preacox Rainbows that hit the states. He's been line breeding them for over a decade. His males are incredible, and his females make a lot of the males that are bought today pale in comparison. He was very short females the last few months, so I did add 4 females of decent looking stock from a LFS to round out the school. I now have 3 awesome males and 11 females.

Also added a few new plants. Echinoduros Midifleur was a nice gift from another club mate, as was the Microsorum pteropus "Fingers" or "Trident" as I guess it is being called. Both of these were brought over from ECS last year, and are rather uncommon in the states.

So... photos! My camera is slightly sub par - my photography skills horridly so. Hope these will do.

The whole Tank:


These fish are definitely not used to being in front of a lens, they are very shy yet, but here is a male and female:



And part of the group:



The Pogostemon Stellata, has grown 6" easily in the month, and showing color 12" from the water surface:



Echinodorus Midifleur. This never showed bright red leaves like this in less light. 3 new leaves in a week and a half in the 180g now, and all bright pink/red new leaves:



The new Java fern cultivar:



Echinodorus Vesuvius going crazy! At least three runners shooting out now, were none when planted:


----------



## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

Very nice! Great work..


----------



## SOX 404 (Feb 14, 2008)

Beautiful....


----------



## ingg (Jan 18, 2007)

Time for the first trim. A friend is setting up a 125g, and has a real camera... that worked out well! I finally got some decent shots, and he went home with some huge bags of plants.

Only thing dosed to date is a little K2SO4. Nothing else at all.

Have 14 Praecox Rainbows, about 25 pygmy cories, cherry and amano shrimp, otos, and nerites in it so far. I'm building a school of green eye rasbora for the second school, then I just have to figure out if I'm going to risk a pair of cichlids in it for the bottom - might chicken out and do Rams, but really want to put this pair of Pelvicachromis Taeniatus Nyete in it I have in another tank.

Before and after the trim.


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Your tank is just stunning, Ingg. You need to get your friend to join and post pics, too! :smile:


----------



## ingg (Jan 18, 2007)

Some updated pics.

Tan is doing really well. Still dosing next to nothing, a tiny amount of potassium. Everything is growing in well, some of them a bit too well. The Stellata is having to be mowed monthly or it tries to take over my entire basement. Echinodorus 'Vesuvius' is also doing extremely well, and I've begun to sell some runners of this unusual plant, as well as spread it within my club. Crypts are a mixed bag. Beckettii grows in like a weed. Balansae melted, came back a pretty dark brown/bronze, but is staying short. Green Gecko is struggling, no idea why - it grows in with tiny reddish leaves, and doesn't grow up bigger.

Overall, couldn't ask for more. The tank is simple to maintain, and is filling in quite nicely. I've put in some Polygonom sp. Sao Paulo I picked up from a friend locally to eventually fill in the void in the right side (this was supposed to be a field of Balansae, and it is - 12" tall and hidden behind the rocks and wood!), it is growing, but slowly.

Added some Downoi on the right side, starting to catch hold and grow. Other than that and some slight rearranging, little added or changed.

So, some pics!











And full tank shots:


----------



## Saraja87 (Jul 18, 2007)

Beautiful, I love the contrast between the fine pink/red stems and the wavy bright green. All of my crypt balansae melted too, and it takes a while to come back. I found some root tabs near by helped a bit.


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Absolutely gorgeous, Ingg! :icon_eek:


----------



## jinx© (Oct 17, 2007)

Beautifully done. roud:


----------



## ingg (Jan 18, 2007)

Been a while since I updated this.

Tank is still doing well, am waging a battle on some algae that seems to like rocks and java ferns. Slowly have it fading back out. I had tried upping the light levels, which resulted in algae becoming very happy. Backed off the lights, dosing Excel, and it is almost gone.

Added some Downoi, which is doing so-so, and replaced some barteri with petite nana. Added Polygonum Porto Vehlo in the rear right, which is taking its sweet time growing up and filling out. Tried Ludwigia Pantanal - I keep getting it to grow 6" tall, stunt, shoot a side stem, and rot. Replant the side stem, and it happens again... so I still have one stem after doing this three times now, lol.

I've been trimming this out at least once a month, and I'm going to have to thin things soon. Looking at this journal, seeing the original pics and now, is pretty startling to me! You don't notice how thick things are growing in when it is your tank, it is so gradual that it feels like its always been that way.








One really happy note, I believe this is my first flower from a sword ever! This is Echinodorus Midifleur, a really nice sword. Not getting huge, and has some really nice coloration.


----------



## CobraGuppy (Sep 23, 2007)

beautiful tank!

You have just inspired me to use Hygrophila Corymbosa Angustifolia as a background plant. It looks so peaceful.


----------



## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Love the tank. You have done a great job. Just one question though... How the heck do you get your Pogostemon Stellatus to grow like that? It is just beautiful. I wonder if it is the pressurized CO2. I just have DIY CO2 and that might be the difference. Mine grows super fast and has about 1 to 2 inches of stem between the leaves. Please tell your secret.


----------



## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

your tank looks really good.

about your sword are you sure that's midi fleur? i think it's a rubin and it's not recommended to put it under the shades like that. probably that's why it stay small.

anyway, i have problems with crypt balansae too. it stays short and wither if the leaves grow big. you may want to check for rotting roots.


----------



## ingg (Jan 18, 2007)

> How the heck do you get your Pogostemon Stellatus to grow like that? It is just beautiful. I wonder if it is the pressurized CO2. I just have DIY CO2 and that might be the difference. Mine grows super fast and has about 1 to 2 inches of stem between the leaves. Please tell your secret.


Mineralized soil substrate, Pressurized CO2. That's it - I barely even dose the water column, only a tiny trace of potassium.



> about your sword are you sure that's midi fleur? i think it's a rubin and it's not recommended to put it under the shades like that. probably that's why it stay small.



I'm quite sure it is Midifleur.  It gets more light than you think, I know it looks dark, but the plant stays dark in higher light. Had it in a lower light tank for months, it barely grew... couple months in this tank, quadrupled in size and now flowered.


----------



## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

the sword got red leaves in the photo though, that's why i said it's rubin. the midi fleur i saw has green leaves and white new leaf. here's where i saw it :
http://forum.o-fish.com/viewtopic.php?t=19762


----------



## ingg (Jan 18, 2007)

Rubin's get huge. This sword is not.

That is white flame in that link?

This midifleur was brought over from an ECU meeting last year. It was given to me directly from those who got the license and imported it. Not sure what that is in that link, sorry. The plant came directly from Aquafleur.

We have a meeting tomorrow, will verify while there, but I'm really quite sure on what the plant was brought over as.

this is the same source, and same coloration as mine:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/swap-n-shop/54668-lots-cool-plants-sale.html

While images show a bright green plant emersed, it is much more colorful submersed.


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Ingg, how long have you had your E. ang. 'vesuvius'? Do you remember how long before yours started sending out runners?


----------



## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

now i'm confused with midi fleur 
never mind anyway... would you post some photos of the echinodorus vesuvius?


----------



## ingg (Jan 18, 2007)

Good detail shot of it is in post #34, it is the left corner of the tank - it is a solid mass right now, I need to do some trimming out, heh.


----------



## MikeS (Apr 27, 2008)

Absolutely stunning roud:


----------



## bubbless (Nov 19, 2006)

luv, i mean LUVVVVVVVVVVVV the roit of textures that all the different plant combinations bring together! :bounce: 

Ur tank is mindblowing! im subscribed roud:


----------



## khanzer22 (Jan 14, 2008)

Truly amazing! Nice blending of plants, I really like your setup… :thumbsup:


----------



## ingg (Jan 18, 2007)

lauraleellbp said:


> Ingg, how long have you had your E. ang. 'vesuvius'? Do you remember how long before yours started sending out runners?



Set the tank up in end of January, so, umm, 4 months total?

It sent runners pretty quickly, no more than say 5 weeks. I want to say it was less than that.


----------



## ingg (Jan 18, 2007)

Figured I'd update this before I start ripping into the scape to clean it up some . Added some German Rams, added some more Anubias Lanceolata.

Believe it or not, still don't have to dose this tank. I tried a little, and it didn't go well - almost recuperated now. I dose a minute amount of potassium once every few days - like .1 ppm - just enough to try and keep older anubias leaves healthy. Mineralized soil is the way to go for me!


----------



## blazeyreef (Mar 17, 2008)

whoa totally amazing! truly inspiring


----------



## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

Wow HUGE! I love it!


----------



## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

your water might be containing some nitrate and phospate too. i'm in awe whit the crypt balansae on the right... so huge...


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Hey, ingg, do you still have this tank running?


----------



## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

gimme updates


----------

