# 46 Gallon Planted Journal(updated pics finally! 8/3 :)



## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Hi sideburns,

Nice to see you're starting a journal. Good start. 

Taking better photos:
- make sure the room is dark, and adjacent rooms are not creating glare on the tank.
- make sure the flash is off
- set camera to shutter priority setting (usually called mode "S")
- set shutter speed to 1/10-1/50 second (play with it and find the best)
- use a tripod, or some kind of stable setting
- use timer to ensure that your pressing the button doen't blur the photo

Because you are using longer exposure times, capturing quality fish photos will be difficult. Also these longer exposure times require the camera to hold very still. 

If you're looking for new lights, I buy all of mine from hellolights.com and aqariumplants.com. For some reason, aquariumplants always has the best price. They sell JBJ (strait pin) lights. Very very bright and white (especially for the first few months)

As far as your layout and plant selection, I think you just need to give the tank some time for now, and allow your plants to grow. When things start to get crowded, then you can decide what should go and what should stay. But, you'll need lots of healthy growth to get a hold on the algae/diatoms.

Are you using any CO2?


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

No c02 ATM..Well, I am dosing flourish if that counts lol..I am going to set up DIY c02 right now because with my easy plants I dont feel I need to go pressurized right now..( I know pressurized c02 couldnt hurt, but I really dont want to deal with all of that right now so I am going with DIY)

Thanks for the quick reply also! I am very grateful for that..More photos to come..Once I can take better pics probaly some time next week.:thumbsup:


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

2 things I want to ask.. I have a penguin 150 bio wheel filter on the tank and I am adding flourish excel ferts and I was wondering if the carbon in the filter cleans all the ferts (impurities) out of the tank or not.. Because I would hate to know that all the ferts I have been using so far were a waste..

And also, I think I am going to start DIY yeast c02 tonight because I have a Hagen bubble ladder and tubing and an empty Juice bottle and I was wondering if I should take out the bio-wheel or take out the whole filter when I start injecting c02 because I heard that bio-wheels are bad for tanks with c02..?


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Carbon will remove most organics and ions - so yes, if it's in the water, it's being tied up by the carbon. However, the carbon can only tie up so much, so if it's been in the filter for a month or two, chances are that all the carbon is no longer active. For most cases, carbon is not beneficial to a planted tank. Carbon performs similar functions to live plants. Carbon is what you need to use in the absence of plants. Also, be aware that the biowheel on that penguin will work to remove CO2 from your water. Any/all interaction between air and water helps to exhaust CO2. You might consider taking the biowheel off, so long as your fish load isn't too high and your plants are healthy. When I (briefly) used penguin filters on planted tanks, I would not use the prefabricated filter inserts. Rather, I just used foam inserts (not made by marineland - needed a bit of DIY) instead.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

unirdna, I will take out the bio-wheel and insert foam inserts and a sponge also..Thanks for the help I appreciate it!..Heres an updated pic of the tank..I cleaned all the algae off the glass and spreaded the water sprite so it covers more than just the right side and I also took out the smaller middle piece of driftwood and bunched the java fern closer together and I like the overall look better than the last pics I took so thats good.. I am ordering 1 6700 K bulb right now to mix with my already used 9000 K bulb and I think it will give the tank a better overall color..I am also going to start DIY c02 most likely tomrow or sometime this week when I get around to it..Tell me what you guys think of the tank!..:










Heres a really neat shot of my female golden wonder killi turning to me..:










And another shot of my male killi (top fish) and a smaller female killi (bellow the male)..:











Heres my lighting set up so you guys can see what I am using (2 straightpinned 55 watt compact flourescent).. I think somewhere in the 9600 K. range and I am going to change one of the bulbs with a 6700 K. bulb ( you think that would look good??)..


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

great lookin tank! gotta love the buta in there just sitting amongst the plants

that is a really cool shot of your killi makes her look like an arrowana almost...

great tank hope to see more shots in future!

fish newb


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## Georgiadawgger (Apr 23, 2004)

Hey that's nice work in a short amount of time!! That thing is going to be a jungle in a matter of time...especially the right side  CO2 will definitely help once you get that going.


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## bhare (Nov 11, 2005)

Is that a Buddha statue on the right hand side? I like it whatever it is...one comment I was thinking of was that the tank seems too centered now, the driftwood and java fern create a real centerpiece which draws your eyes immediately to the center, and leaves the sides feeling kind of weak...do you know what I mean? Great looking tank otherwise!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Thanks for the replies.. Fish newb, I agree it does look like an arrowana!(about 25 times smaller tho).. I will be updating pics of my tank since I finally got my own digi camera!

bhare, I completley agree that the tank is too centered now with the driftwood set up so I am going to attempt to move it a little to the side.. Thanks for the tip my tank is going to start looking better and better with all your help guys!..I am setting up c02 today and I am also going out to Pet Co and Petsmart to spend both 25 $ gift cards I have so I will update pics once the c02 is set up with more plants and with the wood moved..Check my log out later tonight..


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Da da da dumm..I have permission from my mom, and I am ordering THIS in about 30 mins..

http://www.aquabuys.com/miva/mercha...o2_kit_basic&Category_Code=i2&Product_Count=0

Tho I might order this since its on sale and everything..What do you guys think..Order the aquabuys one or the Dr.FosterSmith one??..

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=9935&N=2004+113779

I am also ordering more light since I will have pressurized c02 and everything!.. Heres the lighting I am going to order..I will place it on the front of my canopy so the bow of the tank will finally get some light!..What do you guys think? ( good idea or no?)..

http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=23


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Heres a rough drawing of what I may try to plan when I get my c02 and lighting set up.. I want riccia in the front as the main carpet.. and Dwarf hairgrass maybe on both sides..Then move the driftwood to the left so the tank isnt too centered and then pic some more tall background plants because all I am using now is water sprite and red ludwiga soo any ideas on some plants I could try?..Comments welcome because I want to do this right!...:










What you guys think..Not much thought has been put into this new aquascpae as it is just a rough sketch and its also late and I need to go to bed so I will do more research tomorow..Just want to get you guys thoughts on what my new aquascape should be..( plants and hardscape ideas)


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## bhare (Nov 11, 2005)

I can not comment on the CO2 stuff because that is not my expertise (I only have a 10G tank), good luck with whatever you choose. As far as the design I think you should move the driftwood to the left and also reduce the number of those large rocks. Right now when I look at your last picture, the order in which I see things: 1) centered driftwood/fern 2) large rocks 3) Buddha 4) everything else. I remember reading that one of Amano's principals with rocks is always conceal your intentions, don't let them stick out too much. And also, I hate to say it, I love the Buddha, but we all reach a point when we have to remove such things from our tanks because they ultimately distract from the natural look of the tank (I know because I had to remove one of my sunken ships from my tank! ) I guess its a matter of personel taste, so really its up to you, good luck


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## esarkipato (Jul 19, 2005)

Nice looking tank, I can see you closely followed unirdna's photo advice. The pics look 100% better! Agreed that the driftwood setup should be placed at a ratio of 2/3-1/3, not right in the center. This would be easy enough, and you'd be surprised at how different the tank will feel. I like the buddha.

As far as your planned layout of DH and riccia . . . try again to follow the 2/3-1/3 rule. For example, I would try something like this:
http://www.ernestjohn.com/images/fish/1-02-06fish004.jpg
It just seems less symmetrical.
Also, if I were you i'd try to get 3 sections: fore, mid, and back grounds. the watersprite and ludwigia are great for midgrounds, but try for some contrasting and taller backgrounds!
Looks great, keep it up.

EDIT: I have the milwaukee regulator (same as the aquatraders.com one above) and i love it. been running for 2 weeks, and no problems. If you want the extra timer, then maybe go with DRSFOSTERSMITH, it also has the tubing. But if you don't need these items, stick withteh aquatraders. Also, will that light fixture FIT under your hood?? i've never had a bowfront, so no experience there


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Bhare..Thanks for the comment and I agree that there are too many rocks and that they are too noticeable and I will take a good amount of them out and hopefully grow some moss over it but I first have to find some moss ( either Christmas or Taiwan moss)..And I like the buddha but I know that I may have to take it out unless I can find a way to have it less noticable but still is there to do its purpose( I have the buddha there to give the tank a peaceful, calm feeling)...




Esarkipato..Thanks a whole bunch for that reply!..Some great advice there my friend..I also really appreciate that rough sketch you made for me thats awesome and I like your sketch better than mine..I agree with everything you said and I am going to look up some plants for the idea of the 3 sections like you said (wisteria in middle and a taller background plant will look soo much better)..

I will update pics once my lighting and c02 is set up hopefully late next week when it all arrives (plus I gotta get a c02 tank! doh'!)..BTW, the light hood I ordered is 24 inches long and 5 inches wide and I measeured the lid part of my canopy and the lighting hood will fit perfectly on the front of the canopy so I will have around 3.7 WPG and I can finally try to grow riccia!..Good stuff good stuff...


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## gremmy (Nov 17, 2005)

Nice Tank!

I love that Killi. Very cool. :thumbsup: 

If you're looking for ideas (like I am), you might want to purchase Amano's Nature Aquarium World Vol. 1; it discusses layout principles and gives hundreds of color photographs of his beautiful aquariums.

Some people feel that an aquarium built on "the rules of aquascaping" looks artificial, but my opinion is that artificiality is not caused by the rules but rather by the specific aquasape. The rules themselves apply to anything visual, from paintings to movies to architecture and beyond. The book is really excellent.

I do have some personal recommendations. I hope they don't come across as rude or abrasive, as I have a tendency toward being straightforward. I am also the first to admit that I am not an expert and am only trying to help.  

My own tank still needs lots of work, for what it's worth. Anyway, here are my suggestions:


1) Think natural. Pieces of wood partially buried by current and time, etc.

2) Get rid of the river rocks. I think they are too big for the tank, they overwhelm the foreground, and they do not look natural there, partly because rounded river rocks only look natural in very specific types of aquascape.

3) Strangely, I think the statue looks okay, and I could easily understand either decision (taking it out or leaving it in).

4) My suggestion is to rearrange (and possibly reduce) the java fern so that it compliments the structure of the wood instead of drawing the eye to the empty spot in the middle of the wood. The fern overwhelms the wood in the same way that the rocks ovewhelm the foreground. It looks like a very nice piece of wood -- position it in the midground and show it off with a nice complimentary arc of fern. Try to duplicate a natural growth pattern.

5) I agree that the wood should be moved a bit to the left or right, following the golden ratio. 

6) To give your tank a sense of depth, put down a nice lawn in front of the wood and grow larger plants behind it (as you seem to be doing now).

I hope that helped! :thumbsup:


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Gremmy, Awesome reccomendations man not rude at all..

I will try and get ahold of some riccia that I am thinking about planting infront the the driftwood to have a lawn effect..I just have to wait for the c02 and more lighting arrives sometime in the next couple of days..

I am planning to move the driftwood more to the left of course, and take out some of the java fern. Also, I am going to try and find some taller background plants to plant behind the water sprite and red ludwiga..

Great comments!:thumbsup:


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Heres a list of some plants I am thinking about gettting next week when my c02 and lighting is set up.. Any suggestions?..:

Riccia or Glossostigma
Either christmas or taiwan moss
Anubias 
Hairgrass
Hygrophila, Green 
Tall background plants ( maybe corkscrew val or jungle?)


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Here are some shots I took tonight if anyones interested..:

Another cool shot of my female golden wonder killi:










Group shot of all 4 of my golden wonder killis:











A view of my bedroom showing my 55 gal saltwater ( my other tanks are on the other side of my room):










Few shots of my reptiles:





































My 20 gal high tank that is cycling with unwanted plants from my 46 gal bow:


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Your interests, hobbies, and.......tenacity remind me of....well, me - 20 years ago. You've created a perfect sactuary. I would very much liked to have had such a place when I was young, but I had to share with a little bro . Your killi shots are splendid. Great stuff!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

unirdna, thanks for the compliments and thats cool that I remind you of you 20 years ago!..Your 46 gal bow is a real inspiration for me I love grassy plants.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Well my pressurized co2 system came in tonday and my dad is picking up a 5 pound tank as I type soo I will set it up later tonight!

Wish me luck because I am nervous using the no name bubble counter it came with ( anyone have any tips on this system?? )..:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=9935&ref=3532&subref=AU&N=2004+113779


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## qoperator (Apr 13, 2005)

You are on the right track. Your tank is looking good. I am also in the mix of the co2 buisness. Your system looks solid. From what I have learned just hook up your co2 to come on and go off with your lights. When starting off just start out very slow. Watch your ph and kH ratio. Keep us informed.
:thumbsup:


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Sideburns,

Have your dad ask for a washer when he gets the tank. It's a penny-size piece of hard cardboard with a hole in it. It fits (smashes) between the regulator and the tank. Without one, your tank will likely leak.

That bubblecounter looks fine. Fill it up, mount it on the side of your stand, and run tubing in and out. I would place the check valve before that bubble counter to ensure that you don't create any backpressure on the counter. The reg can handle lots of backpressure without any worries.

Looks like a solid combo. Good price considering it comes with a timer and diffuser. I don't use a timer, I run CO2 24/7. But, since that timer comes with a grounded socket, if you don't use on the reg, it could be used for lighting.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Yea I have a washer and its running now..thanks


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Hey guys, I did a lil aquascaping tonight..I took most of the river rocks out, moved the driftwood and took out a few plants etc...I also have added the pressurized co2 and new lighting ( 65 watt single strip to go along with my 110 watt hood..a total of 175 watts over my tank!)..Heres a before shot of what the tank looked like around 6 tonight..:










Heres a pic of the tank in the middle of re-aquascaping it..:










And heres the after pic..(a lil cloudy sorry!).. I like it because it kinda looks like theres 2 islands with a pathway going down the middle-left side of the tank. What do you guys think?..:










Left side of new aquascaped tank..:










Right side..:










Heres a snail I found hanging on one of my plants..Is that a bad snail that will eat my plants or multiply tons or is it harmless?..Thanks!..:










And heres my co2 set up..Azoo regulator..:










Uhh..Just a random picture..Its showing my aquaclear filter with a sponge stuck in between the filter output and canopy so theres not much surface aggitation..Does this look okay because I hope I'm not wasting too much co2 through the surface aggitation..:


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## aanderson09 (Aug 7, 2005)

that budah looks awesome in your tank, I love the mix with it and the crypts, it makes it look like an alter, it reminds me of a buddah I've seen on my hikes (1/2 mile hike up into some forests, I have no clue why it's there), I'll take a pic next time I go there and post it


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Thanks for the comment Anderson, I like how the buddah looks also and I plan to keep it there... The after aquascape is a bit empty looking which is okay because now I can really watch my plants grow..I cleared out my whole foreground tho and I am looking for a foreground plant, maybe dwarf hairgrass and some glosso?..I still need some taller background plants also.


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

I had to go back and look again...I missed the buddha the first glance...LOL

The tank is lookin good and once everything gets growing it should fill in nice.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Seriously all thats been on my mind latley has been this tank..I really hope I start seeing some growth improvement soon (been about 4 days since the co2 and lighting has been set up..)

..I have only noticed less algae, and greener java ferns so far since I added pressurized co2 but my ludwiga and water sprite isnt showing any improvements..I will be pacient and post pics tomorow after I get back from the biggest fish store I can find around here (Aquarium Center..2500 square foot store..)

I am going to pick up some forground plants, either glosso, hairgrass, or riccia ( w/e they have in stock i'll get!)..Maybe I will pick up a few more stem plants like some taller background plants. Look for pics tomorow night!


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## kunerd (Jul 19, 2005)

What kind of lighting did you go with. I am looking for some that isnt as expensive and found one on the same sight you had linked to and just wanted to know if they were worth it or not?


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

I picked the single strip 65 watt 50/50 hood..only like 38$ shipped..I really like the color my tank is now because before it was too yellow but now it is more to my liking!. It has an external ballast so to turn the light off you have to hit the switch on the external ballast which is a lil diff. but its no big deal.. Heres a link to the lights I ordered (arrived in a week from California)...:

http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=132


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Sideburns,

Consider how plants grow. First they need to make sugar (via photosynthesis), then they use that sugar to build tissue. If the sugar was depleted when you got them, they will need some time to build up reserves again. 

It seems to me that plants are always stuck in 5th gear. They take a long time to get rolling, but once they get up to speed you can barely keep up with them. Continue being patient and you will see some results soon. 

Also, take photos and compare them. We look at our tanks so often that we sometimes can't appreciate the amount of growth. This is why it seems that our plants grow _more_ while we are on vacation .


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

I went to this nice fish store last night called Aquarium Center and I picked up 2 batches of glosso and x-mas moss and I was going to pick up more plants but I bought a black top to go over my tank for 70$ and my budget was under 100$ but I like the top because it gives the tank a more elegant look plus holds in more light..


Heres a pic of my fishing line tied x-mas moss rocks..:










Heres a pic of my glosso being "preped"..:










Another glosso shot (I got alot of glosso for just 5 dollars!)..:










Heres a pic of the left side of my newly re-scaped 46 bow..:










Right side..:










Full shot..:










..Soo basically All I did was move the driftwood a lil more and tie moss around the wood and rocks and plant glosso around the open foreground and re-posistion the java fern a lil bit too..Comments/suggestions welcomed!...

Oh yea and as I was planting the glosso I noticed my largest male golden wonder killi had a pencil fish half way in his mouth!!( the pencil fish upper body was sticking out and it was fighting to get out!..) so I quickly snapped a shot of it ( not the best shot but you can see it atleast..:










I caught the killi with my net and he released him so i kept the pencil fish in the net but he died shortly after...:


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

That killie didn't have a chance of swallowing the pencil fish, especially backwards :icon_roll . 

Looks like a top-notch job of planting the glosso roud:. I hope it grows well for you.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

I hope the glosso grows well also..I need to start fertilizing soon so anyone have any suggestions on what ferts to order?..Thanks alot!..If anyone has any more plant suggestions for the tank just let me know!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Okay heres what I am going to order tonight..Look right? Is this all I need to start fertilizing or do I need something else?..Thanks in advance

Potassium Nitrate 1 lb
Mono Potassium Phosphate 1 lb.
CSM+B Plantex 1 lb
PotassiumSulfate

All from Greg Watson

And some kind of trace/iron?


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## BSS (Sep 24, 2004)

Hey O.S.,

Just getting a chance to catch up on your journal. I like trying to keep up with other 46g owners. Tanks looking great, and it looks like you have the bug . Welcome to the club!!

Regarding your Greg Watson order, you *might* need some Potassium Sulfate (K2SO4..or is that Di-Potassium?). Also, if I were to do it over again, I might get the CSM+B w/ iron. I got the stuff you are planning on, and haven't really noticed a major problem. But it seems like lots of folks dose extra Fe, so that might take care of it for you. No real 'solid' recommendations, but something to consider.

Keep it goin'!
Brian.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Yup I def have the bug lol..I will order those ferts now because I really need to get going on the ferts if I want my plants to realy flourish especially my glosso carpet..


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

K, Just ordered the ferts.. So now I have pressurized c02,3.6 WPG, and E.I. ferts..Hehe I may have been bitten by the bug, since i'm only 16 I hope I can recover soon.

Heres a recap of all the diff. aquascapes i've done in the past 6 months..From when it was first set up to last week..Check it out!:

This is a pic taken a few weeks after it was set up, no background,no ferts,just 110 watts and some basic plants with sand foreground and DIY co2(its pathetic):










Heres a pic of the tank a few weeks before christmas with some new plants added and the DIY co2 and sand foreground taken out..:










Heres a pic of the tank with driftwood added and old plants taken out and new ones added and an extra 65 watt hood over the tank to give it 3.6 WPG plus pressurized c02..:











Heres a pic of the wood and plants moved around..:










And the most updated pic with glosso added and a few moved plants..just waiting for everything to grow in now:


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## Jdinh04 (Mar 15, 2004)

I just planted my glosso this week too, lets see how our glosso matt turns out in a few weeks!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Jdinh, Thats cool that you just planted your glosso also! Whats your tank setup?


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## Jdinh04 (Mar 15, 2004)

My tank was set up in november of 2005, I just rescaped the tank yesterday replacing the existing E.C. with a more natural substrate (shultz aquatic soil). I have the following plants; eustralis stellata, crypt. wendtii green, baby tears, wisteria, pgymy chain swords, blyxa japonica, and glossostigma. Its a what I would say 24 standard size tank? 6,700K of lighting using the jbj compact light fixtures, ehiem 2213 for filtration and using GW's ferts along with excel to fertilize my tank.

I will post pictures of the scape as the water gets clearer, its still a bit hazy right now but it should clear up within the week or so.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Nice, cant wait for pics:thumbsup:

..I just noticed my guppies in my tank were all nipped so I took out my female betta and put her in my 20 gal, along with my agressive killis and pair of rainbows so now I can up my harlequin rasbora school, and lemon tetra school, heres my fish list:

1 lemon tetra 
3 harlequin rasboras
8 albino cories(3 generations)
4 glass cats
2 male guppies
3 ottos
2 hatchets
4 WCMM


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

I will slowly up the schools, but I am not sure if I want to get rid of the guppies since I took out all the mean fish just for them plus they are my fav. fish (so preety and peaceful), maybe I will get rid of the 4 minnows and 2 hatchets and up the guppies and maybe some wood shrimp and a dozen ghost shrimp because I am cool like that..

Heres just an updated pic of my tank(sorry bout the size and quality, dunno why it looks so bad), there is some growth and the water sprite is showing some nice green leaves growing over the old brown ones which is really cool!..:










Heres what my tank looks like around 11 at night before lights out (only the 65 watt is on)..:










My glosso carpet, does it look okay? When should it start spreading and growing etc.?..:


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## Jdinh04 (Mar 15, 2004)

Your glosso seems to be spreading really fast in 3 days, mine is still the same. You should have a least a layer of glosso by sunday.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Thanks for the compliment, I really enjoy watching my plants grow, amazing how fast it happens with the right conditions! Just wait till I start adding Watson ferts next week!


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## BSS (Sep 24, 2004)

Hmmm. I've had glosso in my tank for several weeks now, and I'm only now seeing new growth. Yet something else I must be doing wrong  . Ah, but I love something new to investigate...


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## joestreich (Mar 24, 2005)

wow, what an improvement...not to say that your tank was bad to start out with, but to compare them - it is amazing. I loved the pics of your reptiles. Is that a gecko and some kind of anole? Anyway, you have a cool dad from what I can tell. Seems interested in your hobbies. You are lucky guy. Keep the pics of the tank coming. Looks great! :thumbsup:


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Joe, my Dad is interested in this hobby but not in the exspenses! The tank still has a long way to go but I would have to agree that there has been a huge improvement in the tank so far.. 

And about the reptiles, yes it is a leopard gecko (had him for 3 years, lifespan is around 20...) and a brown anole that I got about a year ago...

You can bet there will be more tank pictures in the future! You know I have a 55 gallon saltwater tank also?


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## joestreich (Mar 24, 2005)

i saw the saltwater tank in the pic of your room. I have recently set up a saltwater tank as well(4o gal tank w/ a 10 gal fuge and a 30 gal sump). Like their isnt enough stuff to learn about planted aquariums, now I have to complicate things and go with a saltwater :icon_eek: What do you keep in your saltwater?

I am finishing my basement and am going to build a tank into the wall and I honestly cant decide wether to put the planted tank or the saltwater tank into the wall.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Its just a FOWLR set up..55 pounds of figi liverock, a few featherdusters, carribean anemones, 1 chocolatechip starfish, 1 longspine sea urchin, 1 turbo snail, 1 percula clownfish, 1 ebili anglefish, 1 saddleback clownfish, and 1 yellow watchman goby.. Its preety much maintains itself since its been set up for about 3 years.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Got my ferts in tonight! Going to start my dosing schedule tomorow after work.. My red ludwiga has touched the surface of my tank and the tip of a few stems are even taller than the tank so they are bending on the surface. MEGA GROWTH.. My glosso is filling in nicely it seems and is very green and staying low which are all good signs. I added 3 more ottos because I love how cute and helpful they are. My java ferns, watersprite, anubias, hell all of my plants are 10 x cleaner since I added these lil buggers. One problem I may run into is since I have 8 albino cories, I feed 4 to 6 floating wafers every night or so and when I drop the wafers they land in the glosso lawn and my cories are somewhat uprooting a few glosso plantlets when they feed, once the glosso becomes a full carpet I will have even more problems so I am going to have a small island where there are no plants so my cories can eat w/out disrupting anything. Heres my dosing schedule... sound good to you?..:

50% water change
1/2 tsp. KNO3 3x/week
1/8 tsp. KH2PO4 3x/week
And for my CSM+B plantex I should dose 10 ml 3x/week right? (that seems like alot of plantex though, almost a tablespoon 3x/week!)..Please if anything doesnt sound right, let me know what I should change..

P.S: I know I am not adding any K2SO4, long story


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Update 1/23... I have noticed alot of growth since the last update so I wanted to show some pictures I just took. Enjoy..!

Heres a full tank shot (right side of tank has no background at the moment). The watersprite is growing nice and dense, very green and bushy!. Also, notice how tall the red ludwiga is on the left side of my tank. Check out my albino cory school posing for the tank...:











Heres the right side of the tank, the pair of crypts are a nice Red/Brown, always a cory in the pic it seems...:












Heres the left side of my tank mainly showing the red ludwiga growth...:










Center tank shot, not the best picture, just showing how nicely the glosso lawn is growing, and whats that? Another cory...:










The tops of a few of my red ludwiga stems are bending at the surface, how should I go about trimming this?:










Anddd lastly, just a cool shot of my glass cats with the light shinning through them...:














...Comments, suggestions, anything!?


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

I love your glass-cats. I haven't kept them since I was a teenager, and very unsuccessfully at that. As I understand, they are a very social, docile fish. Very different from most catfishes.

Oh yeah, tank is shaping up nicely, as well roud:


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

I have been warned against glass catfish many times but they are so neat and interesting to me so a few months ago I bought 4 from Petsmart and they are still thriving which is a good sign! Thanks for the comment Ted, 46 bowers unite!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Update, trimmed and everything looks good!:redface: 










Enjoy...:thumbsup:


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Any comments?


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Decided to try a new aquascape last night, this is what I got...

BEFORE...










AFTER...











I plan to removed the watersprite and add a diff. plant, either hairgrass, or small stem plant that contrasts well with the red ludwiga and glosso.. Any comments?


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## esarkipato (Jul 19, 2005)

you've got some really nice growth, OrgSide!  Very clean, no algae to my eyes. 

That said, I kinda liked the first 'scape better (although they are both very nice). I think the open path down the middle really lent itself well to your bowfront dimensions!

Where i'd go from here: clear out the entire left side and let glosso take over. Get some high and dark background plants for the right side (i dunno, a boring crypt or something), and let the 'sprite grow a bit in front of it. It just seems a little symmetrical now, no offense meant of course


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Thanks for the reply, helps alot! I agree it is too symmetrical, but I just got bored with the before aquascape for some reason, and I plan to remove the water sprite. I am not very fond of watersprite (too bushy and fast growing), so I will look into some new plants this weekend. Also, your right esark., no algae at all, it is great since I recently added E.I. ferts and thought I may get some algae but nope, not a sign of it anywhere! (knocks on wood)..


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## vandyll (Feb 3, 2006)

I prefer the fisrt aquascape also, but that's very subjective to personal opinion.

As for the glass cats, I like tham and was already planning to put some in my tank once it's running. They are a great addition.

And love the Cory's, but then my wife says I am a Cory freak.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Glass cats are a great addition to a peaceful, planted tank. The current aquascape needs some hardscape and more plants so it will change alot.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Update of my tank, replaced one of my bulbs with 6500K bulb, and added some dwarf sag on both sides of tank, and trimmed water sprite...:










Oh and I will hide the glass diffuser next pic hehe...


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## dudleystinks (Apr 9, 2005)

55 gallon saltwater in your room woah! Isnt your dad worried about it falling through the floor? My dad said the limit i could have was a 20gallon fresh i wanted a salt but that would have been even heavier because of the salt.

The 46 is very nice too are all them tanks in your room?

I must add you have a great taste in music!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Yeah, I asked my dad if the floor could hold all the weight, he said it could. All tanks are in my room, also. I have 10 gallon gecko tank, 20 gallon and 46 gallon planted, and a 55 gallon saltwater...


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## dudleystinks (Apr 9, 2005)

cool you must have a big room i would love to see them other tanks if you have any other pictures.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Have some kind of algae, its white/greyish and hairy and is all over the filter ouput so it must like water movement because it has grown alot in just a week. Heres the picture, any ideas?...:










Also some dark greenish algae on my glosso etc. I first noticed this algae last week and decided to watch and see what happens and it hasnt spread really, just grown more in a few spots. Heres the picture:


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

The first photo is staghorn algae. It shows itself first in areas of high current. If you are unlucky, like I was 2 years ago, it can ROCK your tank. Hope it stays at bay.

It was a gloomy month for my hairgrass...but, it does go away.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/unirdna/hairgrass2darkdays.jpg


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Oh jeeze, I hope it doesnt take over my tank, any ways to prevent this?


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## Georgiadawgger (Apr 23, 2004)

organic sideburns said:


> Oh jeeze, I hope it doesnt take over my tank, any ways to prevent this?


break out the scissors and get rid of it asap...trim, uproot, and chunk. Then consider rechecking your nutrient levels. Everything else appears to be growing well (nice colors and overal health). Keep an eye and don't let the algae get a hold of your substrate either.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Update, heres what the tank looked like last week...:










Annnd heres what it looks like as of this afternoon after I cleaned out the filter, and removed as much staghorn algae off my plants as I could and did a 60 % water change. Also, I took out the water sprite and added some micro sword and trimmed the ludwiga stems etc...:













..I upgraded my leopard gecko tank if anyone cares, he now resides in a 20 gallon long with kitchen tiles on the right side as a substrate, and blue gecko sand on the left, with a habba tree and some slate rocks( he seems much happier!)..:










My 55 gallon saltwater tank, horrible picture, but whatever..:


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Update, not the best picture because I am in a hurry. I added some more dwarf sag, and some nice background plants, heres the picture..:


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## BOTIA (Dec 23, 2003)

To take proper tank pix this is what you need to do
1) clean the glass
2) use a tripod
3) turn room lights off and close curtains if any
4) set shutter speed to at least 1/60th leave aperture on auto
5) most important set your exposure compensation for between -1.3 to -2.0
That allows for all the extra light in the tank.
Oh and oviously no flash
Good luck
Erik


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Updated shot, filling in nicely though I plan to rearrange some plants and add some more micro sword...:










Its a little cloudy because of a waterchange..Heres a picture with flash..:











..Also, I came home yesterday and noticed that the tubing came off my glass diffuser in my tank. The tubing was floating at the top of my tank, still submerged with a bubble comming out of the end, every 2 seconds or so. I stuck the tubing back on and I was just wondering if this is something I should worry about. Will it harm my fish if the tubing pops off everyonce in a while(I dont suspect it to fall off, just saying)..Heres a picture to anyone who doesnt know what I am talking about..:










Oh and I know people will flame me for the sucky tubing, I plan to change it once I find the right tubing..


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

*Ehh, Greenwater maybe?*

Well I believe I have green water. It is the first time getting it, and I took some pictures over the last 2 weeks, showing it develope. Sooo, is this green water?..:

2 weeks ago(no signs of GW)..:










Last week, its starting to get cloudy..:










3 days ago..:










Last night..:










I started dosing E.I ferts about a month ago, and I stoped last week because I wanted to see if the small signs of staghorn, bba, string/hair algae were because of the ferts. About a week after I stopped dosing my water started getting cloudy, it wasnt too bad but it was noticeable (like right after a small water change).

Now its getting worse, its not really green, just cloudy. Its kinda milky white but I dont think its a bacteria bloom since the tanks been setup for about 8 months. I am guessing its greenwater so I will do a 3 day blackout, and do a 50% water change after the B/O while continuing slight dosing my nitrate and phosphate. Any suggestions or comments?


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Wow!, looking at those time lapse photos, I think I am going to turn my lights off right now and not even take a peak till friday, wish me luck!


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## kuyastib (Feb 28, 2006)

First time here,
I'm from MD too, what city are you at?

Just to comment on the dark algae on your glosso's - have you tried Siamese Algae eaters - they eat almost all kinds of algae, mix that up with 4-5 otto cats and you'll have yourself a great cleaning crew. I've got Nerite snails in my tank to help out as well.

I don't do any fertilizing beyond the flourite and Seachem Nourish and the plants are doing well - no cloudy water (i've heard that doing the NPK over-fertilizing will do that).

I'll post some pics of my tanks later.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Hey Kuyastib!, I'm in Baltimore.. Thanks for the suggestion, I might go pick one of those SAE's after the black outs done in a few days.

I look foward to your tank photos and welcome to the forum!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

*Blackout helped...*

Well I uncovered the tank tonight after a 3 day blackout. It looks alot better than it did 3 days ago, heres what it looks like now..:










Some pictures of my plants, preety much algae free, though not much color since the blackout..:



















Tons of baby java ferns, about 50 that I uprooted from my tank. All their roots were connected to gravel..(going in my 20 gal planted, unless someone is interested in them..):










Tonight I also recieved my first ever riccia, from a fellow plantedtank member, flipnoy! :thumbsup: ..:










Close up..:










Here you can see me tieing it to driftwood, and lace rocks using cotton thread..:





























Eh, any comments welcomed even though i'm sure I won't get any...


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## jmelnek (Dec 20, 2004)

Is using thread the best way to secure riccia to any hardscapes? Does it grow like a moss or glosso? Tank is looking good. It is always nice to see other 46g out there.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

I think riccia is planted best between 2 plastic mesh sheets, but I didnt have any at the time so I decided to tie it to hardscapes, we'll see what happens.

It grows more like moss I guess, it never roots it self to anything, so its hard to keep it from floating but it grows very bushy and 'hill' like.


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## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

I'm so lazy-- if you get a dense enough clump of it initially, you can keep it down (this is my method) just by thrusting some pebbles deep into it. The riccia eventually covers them up. At the point where it looks way bigger than it originally did, just trim it or insert more pebbles to prevent it from floating. Trimming is annoying since it's like impossible to fish it all out, but it's inevitable in the long run.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Thanks for the tip Greedmiddle, I did pour some gravel over a few left over portions of riccia I had, we'll see how it turns out!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

*Looking good...*

Havent updated in about a month, nothing really to update... I can see about .5 inches into my tank because its so thick with greenwater right now. I have kinda given up and just let it as it is but I just can't take it anymore now that I am getting plants left and right from swap n shop and cant even enjoy them! 

I am going to Aquarium Center tonight to buy either a uv light or diatom filter and I will get rid of this stuff once and for all! Wish me luck, I will update pictures once its clear again, hopefully tomrow...

I have soo many plants in the tank right now, around 150 of them. I have been just stuffing plant after plant in there w/out seeing what I am planting hoping to suck the nutrients out to clear the water up but no luck.

Ah well, hopefully its almost over now. Heres some pics so you can see what I am going through if you have never had green water before. These were taken a while back, but theres no reason in taking pictures of it now since it still looks the same. I have some floating plants on the surface you can kinda make out in the pictures, and you can see some of my glosso carpet and my glass catfish. Man, I wonder whats really going on inside my tank!


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## jmelnek (Dec 20, 2004)

Sorry about your greenwater. It does look kinda pretty though, but I know it is a pain in the A** to get over. I am sure you will be up and running in no time.:thumbsup:


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## uncskainch (Feb 22, 2005)

I hope the green water clears up for you soon -- it's a beautiful tank you've got going there and I'm sure once you beat back the green water, it'll be back to looking great shortly. Can't wait to see how it evolves in the future!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Thanks for the kind replies, hopefully I will get this tank looking nice again in the near future.
Heres a list of plants I have in my tank currently off the top of my head..:

narrow leave java fern, regular java fern, bolbitus java fern, and some other random ferns lol
all types of ludwiga
water sprite 
wisteria
riccia
glosso
H.C
x-mas moss
anachris
dwarf sag
jungalval
wendii crypts
ambula
ozelot swords
dang, I know I have more just cant think of them right now...


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## deleted_user_4 (Mar 8, 2006)

Holy Crap! :eek5: 

Any idea how the fish are doing in there? 

Good luck with your battle!


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Big of you to post the "downs" along side the "ups" - gives us all a chance to learn. Care to expand on nutrients or other water parameters that you may believe to be the cause of the GW. I'm not trying to be smug when I say that I can't grow GW like that no matter how hard I try. And I have....many many times. I wanted GW to feed baby amano shrimps, but could never get it going.

I don't want to rub salt on your wound, but if you could offer your own explanation/interpretation of the causes, I would appreciate it. That is simply some of the happiest chlorophyll I have ever seen.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Lol, it wont be happy after I zap it tonight with some UV... I think the cause of the GW was lack of plants, re-aquascaping, and I stopped E.I. dosing for a week...


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Well, I got my U.V light and a powerhead but the tubing for the powerhead is too small to fit onto the U.V inlet so I dont know what to do since any other size tubing wont fit onto the powerhead..
Any suggestions?


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## shuks (Jul 10, 2005)

Tanks lookin good bro...

I dont have any suggestions about your power head. Maybe buy a new one?


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

I would buy a new powerhead but the one I bought is the reccomended GPH for this U.V light...


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

organic sideburns said:


> Any suggestions?


http://www.petsolutions.com/Flexible+Tubing+Connectors-I-12515364-I-C-28-C-.aspx

Check out your local hardware store first.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

I went back to Aquarium Center and they gave me the tubing I needed, free! I just finsihed hooking up the UV unit and I will leave it on overnight, and check it tomrow evening to see if the GW has cleared up at all. I am going to North Carolina saturday and sunday but I will be back monday. No biggie really. I plan to leave the UV unit off over the weekend just because I don't trust the tubing from leaking so I will silicone it when I get back on monday... 

When I put the powerhead in my tank tonight I seriously couldnt find an opening on the glass for the suction cups because of all the plant growth. I cant WAIT to see what my tank has become once it clears up.REmember, ive had co2 running 2 BPS straight for a month with no trimming so there will be alot of growth! 

I will be posting the infamous, BEFORE and AFTER pics soon so look for them!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

*gettin there...*

Well, the U.V has been set up for about 5 days and its starting to look better. Trust me, it is! Before you could not see more than 1 inch into the tank, now you can see about 3 inches into the tank. BTW, I lost all my glosso carpet but I am kinda glad because now I have more room to aquascape!

BEFORE:









AFTER:









My U.V setup(maxi-jet pushing water through the U.V):









Thanks to a Fellow P.T member for the N.L fern!

And heres my soon to be 20 gallon reef tank if anybody cares:









And my leopard gecko, Rocko, having an early morning stretch:


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Slow down your water current, if possible. A current of about 20gph will rock that tank clean in 24 hours. "Slow" is the key with those things.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Slow down my maxi-jet? or my filter current?


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## bigstick120 (May 23, 2005)

Slow down the flow through the UV


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## deleted_user_4 (Mar 8, 2006)

Who knows... exposing the algae to low doses of UV over a long period of time, and you may end up with algae that is not affected by UV. Hahaha. J/K.

It'll be like people who stop taking their prescriptions, and then end up creating a mutant bacteria that is immune to antibiotics.


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## mecgeorgeneo (Aug 12, 2005)

woot! salt water tank too? what are you going to put in it?

sorry, not sure if anyone mentioned it earlier but what caused the green water in your tank?


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

I am putting my percula clown, yellow watchman goby, chocolate chip starfish and long spine sea urchin in the 20 gallon soon.

The cause of the GW was most likely because I moved alot of plants around and stopped E.I. dosing for a week because I got lazy.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Tanks clearing up slowly because I lost the thing that goes on my maxi-jet to slow the flow of it but it is still clearing up so thats all that matters.

Updated shot(their are so many plants in the tank right now, the riccia that floated to the surface has been spreading so fast so I shoved some in the gravel on the lower left side of the tank) :










Anyone know what these eggs are? I think they are either snail or cory eggs and they are stuck to the glass..:


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## TheOtherGeoff (Feb 11, 2003)

look like cory eggs


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

*What I found in my tank....*

Well I couldnt take it anymore so I decided to pull up some plants in the tank because they have either grown 2 feet, or have been hidden for over a month so I didnt know what to expect! Note, I havent used any ferts for over a month because of green water. Also, all these plants I found were only on the right side of my tank so just imagine what other plants I might have in there...:icon_eek: 

Heres what I pulled up on the right side of my tank in the corner, about 2 pounds of narrowleaf ludwiga (I think thats what it is...:redface: ), note this is all one piece!



















And now I begin trimming this stuff and replanting it all..:icon_evil :










Then I stuck my arm further in my tank and dug out many java ferns that have been hiding in the forest of overgrown plants. .. Half the ferns were plantlets I plucked off the mother leaves of some of my larger ferns:



















I replanted all these bad boys hoping they will grow to have plantlets of their own some day. I also found a huge clump of xmas moss I had tucked away in a corner of my tank that I wanted to check out. It has tripled in size so I spreaded it out and layed some gravel ontop.

Sorry no pics of the tank itself since it hasnt cleared up much since last update(darn powerhead) but I will show you guys another one of my pets, this time its one of my goldens, named buckwheat:flick: ..:


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## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

Nice growth man-- BTW doesn't look like ludwigia. Looks like rotala indica/rotundifolia to me. The photo is hard to tell the specifics, but the leaves are definitely too short and too close together proportionally to be ludwigia.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

I think your right green...


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## uncskainch (Feb 22, 2005)

Wow -- that's some impressive growth during the greenwater outbreak. I hop all the replanted stems will outcompete that algae and leave you with crystal clear water before long.

And Buckwheat's adorable. How old is he?


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Thanks! Buckwheats 5 and my other golden, apropiately named Spanky, is 3...










If your interested, heres Spanks, lol yea hes retarded but I love him!.:


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

*New aquascape*

Couple weeks have gone by and I feel its time for another full tank shot. The GW has completley cleared up thanks to my last resort(U.V). I have lost my entire glosso carpet, and a few fish but thats all over now. 

Heres a full tank shot, many 'ferns' in this tank including java fern, java moss, christmas moss, "PetCo" moss, narrowleaf java fern, and Afican water fern. I am letting everything just grow in...(Please excuse the tubing on the right, its from my U.V setup which will be taken down soon):










Right side of tank...:










Left side...:











If anyone missed it, this is what I have beat..:














Comments always welcome! I am going for the 2 island look again with a pathway leading to the back of the tank like what I did a few months ago shown here..:


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Nice! Good to see you are back on track. A UVS can be a real life saver at times. I'm not ashamed to admit I use one often. Green water has no mercy, and so, I offer it the same . Plants look great. Updates should be sharp roud:.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

*New Aquascape again*

Well, dont mind that tubing from my uvs, its going away this week because the GW is gone and I dont want to wear out the bulb incase I need it again... Preety much all I did was move all the rotala indica (Is that what the stem plants called?) to the right and starting taiming it so to speak by trimming it downwards. Hopefully one day soon I can acheive that clean look many advanced aquascapers pull off. I showed you guys all those javafern plantlets a couple weeks back and now they are all 3-5 inches and taken up half my forground which is great. I moved the NL fern on the left and have riccia matts on the ground that will spread soon enough. Not much else to say so heres the pic..(I changed the settings on my camera just for fun so the tank doesnt have this hue to it,next picture update will be normal settings dont worry):


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

*Some before and after pictures..*

Heres what my tank looked like a few days ago, its all overgrown and the co2 ran out a few days back and the plants started showing the effects...:










Right side..:










Left side..:











So I filled the tank and pulled out most of the plantmass on the right, and made some more riccia plates...:










Left side..:










Right side..:










What my riccia turned into (left unattended for weeks)..:










Comments welcome though i'm sure I wont get any...:icon_roll


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## Y0uH0 (Dec 19, 2005)

Hmm,i kinda like the look of the tank before you pulled the plants out. Although the plants are overgrown,they sure did produce quite a good scape.=) so now it is time to wait for the tank to grow back again.


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Were the rocks up front covered in algae prior to the trim? I know we are all suppose to hate algae , but I rather liked the look. The "overgrown forest" look was kind of catchy. You're probably like me.....pruning just a little of the tank is like trying to eat only one potato chip.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Well the overgrown look may look good in the picture but in reality, alot of the stem plants were covered in algae and there were many dead or dying leaves. Also, I like the "clean" look, like in many of Amanos tanks because everytime I look at my tank (which is constantly since its parallel to my bed) I only see things that I can improve, I think I am going to get a few new stem plants to fill the right side. Any ideas?

Oh and Ted, your right, I cant just trim the plants and leave it at that because once my hands are in the tank they wont leave for atleast an hour!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Update!, its been a while but anyways theres no algae cept for greenspot on the sides of the tank, not too bad and everythings growing. No ferts, just press. co2( 2 BPS ) and around 10-12 hours 110 watt:










right side, java fern paradise, and what type of stem plant is that?:










left side, I love fern plants as you can tell, narrow leave is great!:










Riccia mats, filling in very nicely:










I think my loach wants to be a wood shrimp, they are both chilling behind my fern log, vertical:










Cool pic I edited in adobe photoshop, if ANYONE wants me to do this with their tank, let me know and I will!:










Annnd, my dogs, of course!:


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

anyone want to comment?


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## BSS (Sep 24, 2004)

Hey O-S,

Definitely a change from the shot on your signature. Lots of good, healthy looking greens. 

Personally, I favor height differences. As such, I might do something with your middle plant (Rotala?). If you want a slope effect, cut it down angling toward the right side of the tank. If you want more of a concave look, hack it down to about mid-tank height. As the right side of you tank isn't real 'built-up' yet, I'd lean towards the sloping effect.

As to the mystery plant, I'll hazard a wild guess and say that it might be an Ammania species.

It's interesting how you appear to be having good luck with ferns and mosses. I've never had luck with them in my higher tech, fertilized 46g, though Java fern does thrive in the daugther's 10g no-nothing tank. So, it looks like you've found some good choices for the approach you are currently taking.

Well done,
Brian.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Thanks for the comment thats exactly what I was looking for. I will hack the rotala down like a slope to the right. The java ferns just keep mulitplying I dont know why they thrive so well in my tank but they do, thanks again.


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## fresh_lynny (Mar 9, 2006)

Nice work, OS
I love your plant growth, and your wood shrimp and loach hangingout, and I LOVE your doggies too. 
I did the same riccia plates as you did, and ended up taking them up, as I was tired of cleaning the escapers that float up once it all grows out. My plecos would wiggle around in the beds and they would release to the top. I loved the look though. I replaced it with some HC plugs, so I will see how that goes. With my bottom dwellers, I needed something with roots.
Good luck~


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Thanks for the comment on the growth and the riccia plates arent too much of a pain even though I have over 10 bottum feeders(8 albino cories, yoyo loach, and horesheaded loach, and the shrimp). Oh and glad you like my dogs! heres one more pic lol:


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## GreenerSideofLIfe (Dec 24, 2005)

dudleystinks said:


> 55 gallon saltwater in your room woah! Isnt your dad worried about it falling through the floor? My dad said the limit i could have was a 20gallon fresh i wanted a salt but that would have been even heavier because of the salt.
> 
> The 46 is very nice too are all them tanks in your room?
> 
> I must add you have a great taste in music!



My father got concerned too... I have two 55 gals stacked one on top of the other on an iron stand as well as a 29 gal off to one side. LOL he only mentioned it after it was already up and running LOL


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

NEW PICS!!

I havent changed the aquascape one bit in over a month, only trimmed the rotala once about a week ago. My bubble counter ran low on water and stopped working so I have been w/out c02 for about a month and the tank is perfectly fine cept for these dang snails. Heres what 1 month did to my tank, BEFORE:










AFTER:










Jus alot of steady growth, and heres the left side of my tank:










and right..:










and lastly a neat pic using fisheye effect..:










oh and ofcourse one Miscellaneous pic..my chiapet homer after a month, just got back from vacation and saw him like this.:










ps, how should I get rid of these snails? I tried yoyo loaches but no luck..Thanks guys!


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Hey hey,

Tank is looking _sharp_. Best photo yet. Time to update the photo in the signature. But first, give that back glass a scrape, will ya .


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

lol your the only guy that really follows my log. I like how the tank looks, but i think I am going to get rid of the riccia carpet and try glosso again, and maybe get some hardscaping in.

Also, I am going to start looking in the swap n shop section for a new background plant.

To be honest, I am terrified to scrape the algae off the back of the glass. Even if I do manage to get it off after about an hour with a rusty razorblade, it'll just come back in a month.


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## the_noobinator (Jun 10, 2006)

glass cats look so awesome in an all green tank.


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## fresh_lynny (Mar 9, 2006)

Great pics...best ever. Your tank is so lush and green.....as for Homer, he looks like he could use some Selsun Blue. lol
Wait a good few weeks beofre scraping the glass...maybe you just need to go through a spore cycle...best not to disturb them until it cycles out. Then scrape, water change and take another pic....then update your sig :flick:


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

I really appreciate all the replies, homer is donefor lol, and i'll update with new pictures once I have the algae under control, and some new hardcape put in etc.

The glass cats are always in the same spot night and day, just go back and look at all my previous pictures and you'll see them.


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## the_noobinator (Jun 10, 2006)

that's really funny. it's also funny that i wouldn't be able to see them if their skeletons didn't create a shadow.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

I decided to find every picture I ever took of my tank(full tank shot) and post them, showing all the stages my tank went through. 

Sorry for all the banwidth for using all these pictures....


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

With that being shown, here my latest aquscaping. I did it all last night and today, water is still a lil cloudy..

I took all the riccia plates out, to make room for the hairgrass and sags I bought from swap n shop. The riccia plates are currently for sale at the swap n shop also...:










Split up my narrowleave java fern and tied some to another small peice of driftwood..:










And heres this random java fern log I found in the back of my tank:










Full tank:










...Im sure your all sick of pictures, but I got my hairgrass, sag, and other plants in the mail today from fellow plantedtank members so I took a few pics. 

Splitting up the hairgrass:










Left side:










Right side(wierd angle):










Full:










Thanks for looking.


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## Finch_man (Mar 21, 2006)

A Very Nice Setup!!!


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## danepatrick (Jul 17, 2006)

looks great! thanks again!


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## fresh_lynny (Mar 9, 2006)

I'm excited that the plants made it to you ok, and that you posted pics of the little grassy meadow you have set up! Nice job. That tank has been through a lot of stages...even the GW...looks good now. Nice growth color and balance...plus I am a sucker for glass cats.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Thanks for all the comments, guys. Means alot. I hope that the hairgrass will start spreading and i'll have a lawn leading to the back of my tank soon.


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## the_noobinator (Jun 10, 2006)

i'm usually not big on java ferns, but you use them very well.


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

lots of pictures, just what this forum is for! you wont get banned,..... i hope!

nice progression with your tank, planting hg is a pain in the back the next day especially in deeper tanks like 55g, im 14 and 3hrs of planting hair grass my back killed the day after :hihi:

- fish newb -


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Fish Newb said:


> lots of pictures, just what this forum is for! you wont get banned,..... i hope!
> 
> nice progression with your tank, planting hg is a pain in the back the next day especially in deeper tanks like 55g, im 14 and 3hrs of planting hair grass my back killed the day after :hihi:
> 
> - fish newb -


I know what you mean, carrying 3 gallon buckets back andforth from my room to the tub is alot of work. I can only imagine how much harder it is for the older folks here at planted tank! (no offence lol)


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

wow, its been exactly a year since i last posted in this thread. I didnt plan that at all by the way

im 17 now, and pretty much never touched my tank for an entire year due to work and school and jus loosing interest.

i was sitting in my room about an hour ago bored and decided to fill up my 46 gal with clean water because over 20 gallons had evaporated since the last time i did a water change. note, only filter on the tank had been turned off for close to a year as well.

boy did all my fish like it. all 8 of my albino cories shot up to the top and i was amazed to see both of my glass catfish and both of my indian glass fish(non dyed) still alive and kicking. 

anyways, im going to my local fish store in the next few days to see if i cant fix up my tank and get it going again. i will post pics soon.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

aha well here i am 1.5 years later and im here to stay! i lost interest in this fish tank but not on purpose. i had college and work etc and just didnt have time to keep up with it because im terrible at time management! anyways, about a week ago i was sitting here, just finishing up chemo( i had testicular cancer but i beat it just a few days ago) and i was feeling up to cleaning my tank. the filter has been turned off for atleast around 3 years, and i have been doing random water changes a few times a year. 

i know, its sad. anyways, i guess my tank is so well established that all my fish give or take a few are still alive and kicking. the plants in my tank(java/narrow leave ferns are massive and the only stem plant i have is rotala indica or something and its a mess). i havent put my hands in the tank in years! anyways, i did a 50% water change, cleaned the dead algae off the glass, and turned my filter back on. it was AMAZING to watch all the fish in my tank react to it. my yoyo loach came out from hiding and is now very active and thinks hes an albino cory. i wud maybe see the loach once a week, now i see him all day.

my lemon tetras are trying to breed now as well and everyone is so much happier as am i. its so great that a lil effort can change the tank around. i got some java moss,micro swords, and riccia from a member on here and i planted that. i also found some zebra rocks that i bought years ago but forgot to use. i have a plant pack in the mail that shud be here this week and i found a member on here that lives near me so this friday im meeting him/her at a fish store and hes giving me a gallon bag full of his trimmings. so im going to have a lot of fun this week planting my tank mostly stems! i cant wait to take pics of it all. here is what my tank looks like right now:








w/out flash:








left side:








right side:








my cute yoyo loach(i think, neone no if it is a yoyo loach?):








the loach hanging out in my clay pot covered in java moss cave:









the pics are bad, im not the best at taking pics but u get the idea. the tank is really sloppy right now. but remember i havent touched the tank in years and this is what it looks like now! the rotala is so overgrown and tangled idk how to trim it! its not aquascaped at all. when i cleaned my tank last week and replanted some things, i couldnt see what i was doing cuz it was so coudy so its all random including the zebra rocks but i will truly aquascape it when i get the new plants later this week! please let me no wut u think, any suggestions, comments, or nething is appreciated! ill keep this thread updated from now on. im back in the hobby and it feels great!


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## joestreich (Mar 24, 2005)

this was post is the craziest thing. i saw that a new post came in, but i remembered it from a long time ago. i started checking the dates and went throught all the old post.

Hey congrats on beating the cancer. Life has a way of getting in the way of our hobbies. Glad to see you back on. i actually have not been on this site for months until recently. Well i guess it is the same old thing. i will watch your tank evolve again

Welcome back!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Congratulations on your recovery! My dad had testicular cancer 24 years ago and was one of the first tested for the drug that has helped many since. I am glad to see you getting back to this fantastic hobby. Your tank looks great for one that hasn't been maintained in years. How are you feeling? I am glad to see you are back in the hobby.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

sewingalot said:


> Congratulations on your recovery! My dad had testicular cancer 24 years ago and was one of the first tested for the drug that has helped many since. I am glad to see you getting back to this fantastic hobby. Your tank looks great for one that hasn't been maintained in years. How are you feeling? I am glad to see you are back in the hobby.


wow ur dad is a lucky man. back then, this cancer was deadly as u no. tell ur dad i said thanks for helping the advancement in medical medicine! 

im so happy to be getting back into this hobby. it truly is fantastic! i love watching my fish and just seeing how they live. (my tank is in my room and im in there a lot on the computer etc so i cant help but look at my tank!)

i am feeling great knowing that i dont have to do any more chemo! my white blood cell count is INSANELY low right now, im on antibiotics etc. i have a cold/fever/cough and im worried it cud turn into something more serious since my immune system is still very low. im feeling ok tho, i have a meeting with my dr. again this friday and will have my blood drawn and tested again then. ugh, i hate when they mess with my portacath!.


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Welcome Back!!! To the hobby, and to the next chapter of your life!

It's stories like yours that keep me from ever taking my health and my daily routine for granted.

Now stop posting, and get your rest!!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

well ive tried 2 diff. aquascapes since my last post. ive also gotten quite a bit of plants since my last post as well. 

here are pics from a few days ago, when i got a plan package from a fellow member in the mail. i trimmed back most of the rotala indica that hasnt been trimmed in 2+ years! it was soo tangled in a big bunch floating at the top of my tank. 
heres what i trimmed out and threw away:










here are 2 java ferns i pulled out to takes pics of cuz the roots were so long!!:
















and heres what my tank looked like right after i trimmed and planted the new plants i got in the mail:








now, a few days later(yesterday), i met a fellow member from here at a fish store. he gave me a big bag full of his trimmings, and 8 or so branches of manzanita wood, for free! very generous of him and i couldnt be more pleased. 

here are the plants and wood i got free from another member from here:


















heres pics of the fish/shrimp/frogs i got at the fish store yesterday. i got 2 female feeder guppies, 1 fancy male guppies, 20 ghost shrimp, and 2 african dwarf frogs(turns out, they gave me clawed frogs, so im in the process of taking them back. i caught one and returned it today, still need to find the other one. the clawed frogs get too big and will eat my fish):








random pic of my wood shrimp ive had for like 4 years:








and here are the final pics of my 2nd aquascape of the week! i moved all the javaferns to the left side, as well as all the zebra rocks cept one. i planted all the ferns in the nooks of the rocks that i piled onto each other. the effect looks great, and it was quite easy and natural to make. im very happy with the left side right now. i planted all the free stems. my tank is now packed full of plants, cept for the midground which i will plant 35 micro swords that i have in the mail hehe. also i messed with the camera settings for these final pictures, i changed the white balance to fluorescent and lowered the aperture setting. it looks better, but still not that great. any pointers??:











right side:









left side:








the wood i got is soaking until the tannins are out and it becomes water logged. i cant wait to add the wood and complete my aquascape. *please *leave comments etc, i like reading them!!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

pic i took last night. tried to make it clearer etc. still waiting on a plant package of 30 chain swords that ill use as a forground. also have my manzanita branches soaking, they arent leaching any tannins after 3 days of soaking. they are also starting to sink somewhat. tell me what u think! please leave comments!!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

anyone have ANY comments? i dont like the right side, any comments? how should i arrange the manzanita branches once they become waterlogged?


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

i like man! i agree the right side is a lil messy, try trimming some of the stems down and see how that looks. also, the manzanita branches should be placed on both sides, sticking out of the plants pointing towards the middle. i think that wud look good tho i would wait and see what other ppl say first since im new to all this.

nice tank! cant wait to see another update!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

thanks OS, anyone else care to comment??


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

for some reason my one harlequin rasbora (had 6 of them, 5 have died over the past 5 years) is constantly harassing my male guppy i just added. he keeps chasing the guppy around and taunting it but rarely does it nip at it. the rasbora has never been aggressive in the past but now it hates my new guppy. i might give my rasbora to a lfs.

also, does anyone wanna comment on my tank? everyone elses tank journals get tons of comments but no one says anything about mine. its quite disheartening. new pics are on page 10 at the bottom...


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

BUMP...

another FTS, my manzanita branches are soaking right now, how should i arrange them once they are done leaching tannins??:










any suggestions? please leave a comment no one ever does.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

bump

ill keep on bumping till someone replies. everyone elses journals get replies, and lengthy conversations, but i get nothing. its weird..

anyways, i added the wood to my tank 2 days ago, im going to take pictures tonight and post them.


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## Chrisinator (Jun 5, 2008)

Cool tank! Kinda blurry..


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

ya i think thats y im not getting any replies. i suck at taking pics, i have a 7.1 mega pixel cool pix 7600 camera yet i take crappy blurry pics. im going to set up a makeshift tripod tonight and put the camera on a self timer, hopefully thatll make it less blurry. ill try diff settings on my camera as well. thanks for the comment, even tho it was 4 words! i wish complexity would come in here hehe


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## danakin (Jun 8, 2007)

organic sideburns said:


>


Quite a difference huh? The tank is looking so much better now.

Don't worry about folks not commenting. I don't get too many comments on my journal (though it hasnt been updated in a while) but that's fine. 

Heck, you just need "ADA" in your thread title and folks will flock to it


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

haha yea that is a big difference! the tank has gone through 4 or 5 aquascapes since I set it up! 

and your right all the threads with ada tanks are so popular! I just enjoy reading what other ppl think about my tank. its in my room so not many ppl see it or comment on it.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

That wood shrimp looks like he is surfing. Too cute. Your tank is looking very nice. I have a suggestion about the rock on the right side. It kind of looks like it is squashing the plants and is kind of out of place by itself. Maybe moving it next to the other rock on the left would look better? Of course; I am hardscaped challenged, so feel free to ignore what I just suggested. :hihi: 

Your guppy's fins may look like food to your other fish. I have a fancy guppy that is always swimming away from someone trying to take a bite out of him. Even with the pacman tail, he still holds his own and has fathered most of the guppies in the tank. 

Wow, great member to give you so much! There are some really pretty plants in there. You are going to love the manzanita wood. I have some in my work tank and the colors are amazing. The older it gets, the better it looks. Like Sean Connery.

You'll get more comments in a while. Once people get used to seeing your name on the forum. I think we are kind of shy at first. :icon_redf Plus, the shameless plugs you throw in other peoples journals (see guppy comment above) helps get traffic over to your own journal. :icon_roll


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## gabriella (Mar 25, 2009)

I really like your plants, especially the ones on the left side. The middle-to-right part looks a bit faded to me but it may be because of the camera. I can't tell. Once you added the manzanita wood, please post some pics. I'm about to buy a package too and currently looking for great ideas on how to arrange it in a tank. I think those very green plants on the left side would look amazing with the wood! Good luck and keep us posted!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

sewingalot said:


> It kind of looks like it is squashing the plants and is kind of out of place by itself. Maybe moving it next to the other rock on the left would look better?
> 
> You'll get more comments in a while. Once people get used to seeing your name on the forum. I think we are kind of shy at first. :icon_redf Plus, the shameless plugs you throw in other peoples journals (see guppy comment above) helps get traffic over to your own journal. :icon_roll


there are 4 or 5 zebra rocks in the tank, tho 3 are hidden. i like the idea of moving the rock on the right over to the left. i think ill move it infront of the one rock on the left.

also, thats true i do need to become more active on these forums. i joined like 4 years ago but ive been gone for 2 years hehe.


gabriella said:


> I really like your plants, especially the ones on the left side. The middle-to-right part looks a bit faded to me but it may be because of the camera. I can't tell. Once you added the manzanita wood, please post some pics. I'm about to buy a package too and currently looking for great ideas on how to arrange it in a tank. I think those very green plants on the left side would look amazing with the wood! Good luck and keep us posted!


yea i love the left side as well. the narrow leave java ferns on the left are all attached to a piece of driftwood. i added the manzanita last night, ill take pics and post it tonight. i added wood to both sides of the tank. i like it, but i think im going to try and move all the wood to the left side. its just hard to fit all the branches over there cuz the wood that the ferns are attached to takes up a lot of room.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Oh yeah, now I see another rock in there! I like its placement. I look forward to seeing the updated pictures. What are your favorite plants in there? By the way you talk, I am thinking the ferns.


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## gabriella (Mar 25, 2009)

yea i love the left side as well. the narrow leave java ferns on the left are all attached to a piece of driftwood. i added the manzanita last night, ill take pics and post it tonight. i added wood to both sides of the tank. i like it, but i think im going to try and move all the wood to the left side. its just hard to fit all the branches over there cuz the wood that the ferns are attached to takes up a lot of room.[/QUOTE]

I've noticed those rocks too, you shouldn't waste them, they look nice. Here's a suggestion: if the driftwood that has the Java fern attached to it is too big, leave it as is on the left side. On the right, try arranging the manzanita like a bouquet of flower, you can tie them together at the bottom and bury it in the gravel. To help keep it in place, you can use a rock and place it in front of it. Add your plants in-between the branches(medium to tall ones), as well as around the rock (small ones). The other rocks may go in the middle of the tank, far back side, having very small plants around them.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

sewingalot said:


> Oh yeah, now I see another rock in there! I like its placement. I look forward to seeing the updated pictures. What are your favorite plants in there? By the way you talk, I am thinking the ferns.


my fav. plants in my tank have to be the narrow leave java ferns. they have been attached to a piece of driftwood for a few years and has never been touched. im beginning to pull it apart cuz its so full of ferns, some are not even attached to the wood.


gabriella said:


> I've noticed those rocks too, you shouldn't waste them, they look nice. Here's a suggestion: if the driftwood that has the Java fern attached to it is too big, leave it as is on the left side. On the right, try arranging the manzanita like a bouquet of flower, you can tie them together at the bottom and bury it in the gravel. To help keep it in place, you can use a rock and place it in front of it. Add your plants in-between the branches(medium to tall ones), as well as around the rock (small ones). The other rocks may go in the middle of the tank, far back side, having very small plants around them.


thats a great idea with the branches. i def want to tie them all together like that and add some rocks around it. great idea ill see what i can do!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

and here are the newest pics. i made a shapeshift tripod and it wasnt very level with the tank, so its kinda a birds eye view. still, i used the self timer and i the pic came out much better, for once. i also only took 1 pic, since my battery was low. now that i know how to take better pics, im going to try and make them perfect(spend more time taking pics, cleaning the tank b4hand, and spending more time editing the pic in photoshop hehe.)

heres the unedited pic:









and heres the pic after i added some sharpen, changed the contrast, and added a border.:









i added the wood randomly, and only used like half of the pieces. it was hard to find room for the wood in the substrate since the plants and rocks were already in there. what do yall think? how can i make it better? im waiting on some micro swords that will fill the foreground.


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## Crystalview (Aug 10, 2007)

I like the addition of the wood you will have to keep the other plants trimmed to see. 
I have been thinking of using a tripod on my camera I get blurry pics also. I think I breath or something and I move. I hate that my pics don't look like the others. When I need to know what something is my bad shots don't help.
Don't sweat the replies sometimes we all get busy. I have a forum where I don't get many relies either. Its frustrating, but think of it this way. Look how many read your post and just did not know what to say.


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## gabriella (Mar 25, 2009)

Looking good!

I like the driftwood, it looks much better now than it did before. The only thing that I might think of changing is the height of your plants but only in the mid-front section. A bit of trimming here and there would make the tank look spacious rather than overflown by plants. It looks great, though a bit crowded in my opinion. And let's keep in mind that these plants will keep growing. Yet you're planning to add even more plants to it when there are children starving in Africa 

Nice progress though!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Crystalview said:


> I like the addition of the wood you will have to keep the other plants trimmed to see.
> I have been thinking of using a tripod on my camera I get blurry pics also. I think I breath or something and I move. I hate that my pics don't look like the others. When I need to know what something is my bad shots don't help.
> Don't sweat the replies sometimes we all get busy. I have a forum where I don't get many relies either. Its frustrating, but think of it this way. Look how many read your post and just did not know what to say.


yea the tripod and self timer makes the blurriness go away. good point about getting comments. 


gabriella said:


> Looking good!
> 
> I like the driftwood, it looks much better now than it did before. The only thing that I might think of changing is the height of your plants but only in the mid-front section. A bit of trimming here and there would make the tank look spacious rather than overflown by plants. It looks great, though a bit crowded in my opinion. And let's keep in mind that these plants will keep growing. Yet you're planning to add even more plants to it when there are children starving in Africa
> 
> Nice progress though!


yes i agree its a bit overgrown. i need to get better at trimming!


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## PRESTON4479 (Mar 22, 2007)

gabriella said:


> On the right, try arranging the manzanita like a bouquet of flower, you can tie them together at the bottom and bury it in the gravel. To help keep it in place, you can use a rock and place it in front of it. Add your plants in-between the branches(medium to tall ones), as well as around the rock (small ones). The other rocks may go in the middle of the tank, far back side, having very small plants around them.


I think I agree with this advice. Manzanita always looks best when it appears to be originating from one point. Then just fill in around it.

By the way, the tank is looking good.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

The manzanita is definitely giving the tank more depth. Your pictures are a lot more crisp this time as well, great job. Your cories are so cute. I really like the new look. Great job.


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## cah925 (May 18, 2007)

I think the random placement of wood works well for this scape. My only suggestion would be twisting the wood around a little to have it point more toward the front. That way it is still slightly visible even as the tank matures into an overgrown jungle.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

PRESTON4479 said:


> I think I agree with this advice. Manzanita always looks best when it appears to be originating from one point. Then just fill in around it.
> 
> By the way, the tank is looking good.


thats a good point. ill have to move the plants around to make the wood look more natural. still not sure how im going to rearrange the wood. ill keep messing with it.


sewingalot said:


> The manzanita is definitely giving the tank more depth. Your pictures are a lot more crisp this time as well, great job. Your cories are so cute. I really like the new look. Great job.


yea its amazing wut a flat surface and a self timer can do to a picture. i hope to get even better pics from now on. thanks for all the replies, so helpful!



cah925 said:


> I think the random placement of wood works well for this scape. My only suggestion would be twisting the wood around a little to have it point more toward the front. That way it is still slightly visible even as the tank matures into an overgrown jungle.


that should really help with the depth as well. ill fix the wood placement and take more pics in a few days.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

You wanted replies, I gave them. :hihi: I was just looking at the first picture you had a few weeks ago and cannot believe the amazing transformation already. You should post a before and after picture now.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

sewingalot said:


> You wanted replies, I gave them. :hihi: I was just looking at the first picture you had a few weeks ago and cannot believe the amazing transformation already. You should post a before and after picture now.


yea its great what turning the filter on, doing a couple water changes, cleaning the tank, adding some plants and doing a bit of aquascaping can do. heres before and after pics

before:









after:


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Excellent!


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## cah925 (May 18, 2007)

Amazing difference! I really enjoy the fern placement on the left side as well, the needle leaf high and the regular down below. Can't wait to see more pics.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

thanks! yea the fern is my fav plant. there are so many needle leave runners/babies that i need to pull out and put them closer to the front, between the rocks/wood.

now that i know how to take better pics, ill update this thread more often!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

ok well i got my RAOK chain sword package from wkndracer(SP.?) today and figured i might as well fix up my tank a bit.

i just got finished re-aquascaping my tank. hehe its the most addicting part of this hobby imo! anyways, i spent about 2 hours replanting, planting new plants, and re arranging my zebra rocks and manzanita branches. after a few tries, i ended up with something really nice. i moved 2 zebra rocks closer to the front, and more to the left. then i stacked a 3rd zebra rock ontop of the other 2 rocks and it looked perfect. i covered the 3rd rock with java moss and stuck 2 tiny manzanita branches under the 3rd rock, so its coming out of the rock cave. 

then i placed a branch that i had left over into the tank and its a neat, curved branch so i dug it into the gravel horizontally and it made a little bridge. the wood also has a knot/hole in the middle of it so i stuck java ferns into it. it looks really natural and this my fav. scape ive ever done for this tank. it still needs a tiny bit of tweaking to make it "perfect" but i really like it and see a lot of potential. pics will be up tonight, if the water clears up.


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

I agree the wood adds alot to the look of the tank.
Great Job!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

new pics! i tried a new aquascape by moving the wood and rocks and i added some chain swords.

FTS:








Left side:








Right side:








FTS W/ flash:









and also i found my wood shrimps shell/skin. ive never seen this before in the 5 years that ive had the shrimp. should i leave it in there? scoop it out? is the shrimp ok?:









i decided to take pics this morning instead of waiting for tonight for my room to be dark so the pics could be better but next time i update with pics, they will be perfect/ plus the scape needs some slight tweaking and thing need to be trimmed etc so new pics will be up in a week or 2. any suggestions on how to make my scape better? anyone like it? comments of any kind are welcome!:redface:


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## PRESTON4479 (Mar 22, 2007)

Much better if you ask me.:thumbsup: I like being able to see more of the wood and how it is some what originating from the same area.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

thanks Preston, yea im new to manzanita and im still learning on how to use it but i def. like it better now. like u said, its all coming from the same place. now i need to fix up the right side of the tank. im going to let things grow in, and thicken out my stem plants. also, i hope the new chain swords spread fast. id like that to take up a lot of room.

bumping the pic since its on the page b4 this one:


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## PRESTON4479 (Mar 22, 2007)

I agree. I'm thinking just let things grow in now. The fern will make the wood and rocks look even better when it grows out. The only other thing I thought might look good is a little moss tied off to the wood. But the fern will probably fill things in nicely.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

i actually thought about tieing some moss to the wood. i think ill do that soon, then next time i dive into my tank for some tweaking,trimming etc. im really happy with the scape, but i still have a lot of tweaking to do. i swear i have OCD only for my tank tho. its in my bedroom across the room from where im typing right now and i can help but look over at it every min. and i always see something wrong with it. i think in a month or so ill be satisfied.

btw this tank is low tech, no co2, no ferts, just 7 hours of 80 watts of t5ho. things grow medium pace, but i have easy plants anyways. im going to start co2 soon. i have a press. co2 system but it started leaking a few years ago so i stopped using it. now, my older bro took it to get it fixed but he says they had to send it in somewhere. im worried hes lying and just wanted to sell it. he has no job...

thanks for the replies Preston, means a lot since no one in real life says nething about my tank. i like to read what other hobbyist have to say about my tank!


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## PRESTON4479 (Mar 22, 2007)

organic sideburns said:


> i swear i have OCD only for my tank tho. its in my bedroom across the room from where im typing right now and i can help but look over at it every min. and i always see something wrong with it. i think in a month or so ill be satisfied.


Your not alone in this.:icon_wink



organic sideburns said:


> i have a press. co2 system but it started leaking a few years ago so i stopped using it. now, my older bro took it to get it fixed but he says they had to send it in somewhere. im worried hes lying and just wanted to sell it. he has no job...


That sucks!



organic sideburns said:


> thanks for the replies Preston, means a lot since no one in real life says nething about my tank. i like to read what other hobbyist have to say about my tank!


I know what your saying. I'm in Delaware and know only two people locally that are experienced in this hobby(met one here). I think the reason people don't comment often on my tank is because they don't know anything about it. The most common question I get is "Are the plants real?"


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

PRESTON4479 said:


> I know what your saying. I'm in Delaware and know only two people locally that are experienced in this hobby(met one here). I think the reason people don't comment often on my tank is because they don't know anything about it. The most common question I get is "Are the plants real?"


yea whenever i have a friend over or anything like that, they ask that same question. i sometimes wish my tank was in the den out in the open for more ppl to see but i enjoy it in my room since im in there a lot. plus, i can mess with it whenever i want.


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## matticusfinch92 (Mar 29, 2009)

Wow, it's like a jungle - the fish must love swimming amongst all the plants.
Really nice choice of fish as well.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I like the new scape! It looks like a giant insect crawling out from behind that rock. Too awesome. Looks a lot better with the wood together like that. I have another suggestion. The right side has the same shades of green in a way. Maybe a crypt or other plant with strong leaf structure or color would help? Wow. I really like this the more I look at it. I would say the shrimp is molting. I don't think you have to worry about removing it, but I don't know much about shrimp.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

matticusfinch92 said:


> Wow, it's like a jungle - the fish must love swimming amongst all the plants.
> Really nice choice of fish as well.


yes its a lot of fun to just sit and watch my fish react to the plants/scape. they really act more natural dont they?? my fish list is kinda messed up at the moment. 4 lemon tetras, 1 harlequin rasbora, 3 albino cories, 1 dario loach, 1 red tailed black shark, 1 male guppy, 2 female feeder guppies, 1 hatchet fish, 15 ghost shrimp, 1 wood shrimp. i love the activity tho, a lot goes on in all levels of the tank!


sewingalot said:


> I like the new scape! It looks like a giant insect crawling out from behind that rock. Too awesome. Looks a lot better with the wood together like that. I have another suggestion. The right side has the same shades of green in a way. Maybe a crypt or other plant with strong leaf structure or color would help? Wow. I really like this the more I look at it. I would say the shrimp is molting. I don't think you have to worry about removing it, but I don't know much about shrimp.


haha i never thought about an insect when looking at the wood, but i can see it now that u mention it! im glad everyone likes the new scape better. i was very pleased after i finally took my arm out of the tank. very satisfying! ur right about the same colored plants on the right. 

i have some red/green sunset hygro(i think, or sunset something) but its hidden in the middle. i need to trim and move a few stems further back. but yea i also need a few more plants for this tank. i think a few crypts would look great on the right. ill look in the swap n shop! thanks guys!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

You are so lucky to be able to grow sunset hygro. For something that is supposed to be a weed, it sure does hate me a lot.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

sewingalot said:


> You are so lucky to be able to grow sunset hygro. For something that is supposed to be a weed, it sure does hate me a lot.


it grows kinda slow for me but im just happy its still looking good since i just got it a few weeks ago.

im trying to think of some more plants to get, im thinking some anubias or petite, and some type of crypt. any suggestions?


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## ICPjuggla (Mar 17, 2009)

Wow, your tank has gone though a lot and is looking really good... Great work and keep it up.. I like the new layout with the manzanita wood on the left. I'm thinking, it would look cool if you did the same type of thing on the right with the manzanita, but mabey not as tall if you know what I'm saying.. I think it would balance out your scape and draw your eyes around the tank..


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I love crypts, but hate the melt. I loved crypt lucens, but every time you move it, gah! Perhaps anubias and petite in the front? That could be very cool.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

ICPjuggla said:


> Wow, your tank has gone though a lot and is looking really good... Great work and keep it up.. I like the new layout with the manzanita wood on the left. I'm thinking, it would look cool if you did the same type of thing on the right with the manzanita, but mabey not as tall if you know what I'm saying.. I think it would balance out your scape and draw your eyes around the tank..


thats a really good idea. i always wondered how it would look with the same scape but smaller on the right. id have to get some more ferns and wood and rocks since i used them all on the left but i think it wood look really good. my tank does feel a bit unbalanced. ill give it some thought and ill update with pics if i do add to the scape.


sewingalot said:


> I love crypts, but hate the melt. I loved crypt lucens, but every time you move it, gah! Perhaps anubias and petite in the front? That could be very cool.


yea i def. want some anubias, il have to watch the swap n shop section.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

well i liked ICPjugglas suggestion so i made a quick photo shop of how the new scape might look:










i made it in a rush, but it gives u an idea of what i want to try and do. im going to get a few more zebra rocks and i need to split up the branches, i only have 2 other branches that im not using yet so ill work with what i have. 

expect a new pic later this week with the new/improved scape! any ideas, suggestions, tips, etc would be great! i dont want both sides of my tank identical, but it would give the tank a lot of balance and if i pull it off itll look great!


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## ICPjuggla (Mar 17, 2009)

Yes, exactly what I was typing about. I love it and can't wait to see the real pics once you get this done... It def. balances out the overall scape and draws my eyes around the tank... I like it, I like it a lllllot....


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

thanks im glad u like it a lllllot! im going to get some more zebra rocks in 2 days. im still unsure on how im going to scape it but i know that im going to pull most of the stems up on the right and either replant them in the middle or further to the back, or throw them in my new 12 gall nanocube to get that tank started.

any tips on how to pull this new scape off would be great!


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## cah925 (May 18, 2007)

I like the new wood placement. My only comment is that the area in the middle looks a little strange. Maybe the needle leaf fern just needs to grow and fill in a little more on the left.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

strange as in the stem plants look out of place? should they be trimmed? moved? i think i need to replant them further back. i got lazy and planted them a few inches from the back cuz i didnt feel like reaching that far back.

btw i have narrow fern, needle is a lot shorter. anyways, the narrow leaf fern is very overgrown in the back. u cant see it, but there are a ton of medium sized ferns wedged between the wood and side of the tank. i need to thin out that area so that ill have some ferns to use on the right when i do the new scape.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

The darker green and wood addition in your mock up will definitely give the right side more character. I can't wait to see the real thing.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

well i spent a couple hours yesterday re-scaping my tank. i moved 1 rock and a few branches over to the right side. i also added java moss to half the branches by tying the moss using cotton. i cant wait for the moss to grow in a bit. i also had a good idea to put one branch balancing ontop to the rock, going vertical up to the surface of the tank. it looks just like a root growing down into the water. im going to let things grow in for a few weeks and then do some tweaking but im very pleased with the outcome. btw im getting 20 red cherry shrimp from epicfish they should be here in a week or 2. i need to catch my one clawed frog thats in the tank and return him or else hell eat the smaller shrimp!

i want to mention that this tank gets no ferts, no co2, and just 7 hours of two 39 watt t5ho. low tech eh?
heres a fts. i just took the pic, right when the lights came on. it is still cloudy from the re-scape yesterday, ill get a better, clearer pic tonight when there is less light in my room!:








heres the left side, notice the branch on the left sitting on the rock!:








the right side, added 1 zebra rock and a few branches:








some branches i tied moss onto:








i thinned out the narrow leave clump and added these to the right side of my tank:








some of my fish..my 3 inch red tailed shark, 3 inch dario loach, and 2 of 3 albino cories:








my cute 2.5 inch horse faced loach:








my only male guppy, im getting 1 or 2 more soon:








one of the oldest fish in the tank, over 5 year old hatchet fish:








sorry for the dirty glass, i havent cleaned the outside in many years. i need to get some windex and clean it. thanks for looking! i hope u like the new pics and please comment.

after looking at the pics, i see a few things i want to change. i think the left side could use another branch. im going to move 1 branch from the right side over to the left side, move more narrow leave ferns to the right side, and get a few more zebra rocks to add to my hardscape on both sides. anyone have any suggestions?


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

First off don't windex your glass, just use water or even vinegar,
I also don't think your botia and loaches will be kind to your shrimp.
I definitely like your old scape better


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

well i threw in 20 ghost shrimp a few weeks ago and they dont bother them at all. the ghost shrimp are thriving but ill just have to wait and see if they eat the RCS.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

bump

anyone have suggestions to help my aquascape?


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## Northern_Wind (Nov 1, 2008)

I like it! You keep it the way you like it, not because someone else told you to change it. Your the one who is looking at it everyday. 
Personally, I love the jungle look. So many java ferns, I love that plant!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

You squished the giant insect! Haha! I am really liking your setup. You are really doing a good job. I wish I could be as creative. I am lucky that I even have a piece of driftwood in my tank. You have come a long way! Great job, organic!


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## funkyfish (Mar 16, 2009)

Very nice tank  I love the lucious growth in there


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

sewingalot said:


> You squished the giant insect! Haha! I am really liking your setup. You are really doing a good job. I wish I could be as creative. I am lucky that I even have a piece of driftwood in my tank. You have come a long way! Great job, organic!


haha good one. im glad u like my tank and its cool that ur following it. thanks for the kind words. i just got done re-scaping my tank yet again. ill post pics when it clears up but i think its my best yet. 


funkyfish said:


> Very nice tank  I love the lucious growth in there


yea its a jungle in there. i thinned out some things today in my re-scape tho. pics tomorrow night. i wanna get a good shot of my tank!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Northern_Wind said:


> I like it! You keep it the way you like it, not because someone else told you to change it. Your the one who is looking at it everyday.
> Personally, I love the jungle look. So many java ferns, I love that plant!


yes ferns are my fav. aquatic plant. they are so easy to grow, almost always look great, and u can stick them anywhere. im a sucker for dark green!


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## cah925 (May 18, 2007)

This tank just keeps getting better and better. Adding the extra rock and DW to the right side really helped. I think the stems should be trimmed down about 2-3" from the surface (at least for a pic). In the first FTS pic on 4/15, the ferns tend to dip down toward the middle and then come back up again on the right side, but the stems kind of grab your attention because they are taller and interupt what could be a smooth flow across the tank. Just my opinion.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

cah925 said:


> This tank just keeps getting better and better. Adding the extra rock and DW to the right side really helped. I think the stems should be trimmed down about 2-3" from the surface (at least for a pic). In the first FTS pic on 4/15, the ferns tend to dip down toward the middle and then come back up again on the right side, but the stems kind of grab your attention because they are taller and interupt what could be a smooth flow across the tank. Just my opinion.


thanks a lot i think im getting better at scaping everyday lol. i moved the ferns back to the left side today, as well as the one rock and i trimmed 3 inches off most of my stems. then i moved all stems to the right side and i rearranged half of the branches. i got really creative with my branch placement. its really neat! i wanted more open space and i wanted to be able to see the back of my tank so thats why i re-scaped it. i really like it, cant wait to show u guys when it clears.

btw this tank is so low tech. no ferts, no co2, and 1.5 WPG. i actually ordered all the E I greg ferts years ago, but only used a tiny bit before my press. co2 broke. do u guys no if the ferts go bad after a while? i kinda want to get my co2 fixed and start dosing ferts. then my tank would be ever better.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Do you type while rescaping? Lol! You have an eye for the hard scaping. I like following your thread. It is very amusing. I actually went back and read the whole thing last night. You are doing a great job!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

well i did yet another re-scape. i wasnt happy with my tank besides the left side, so i moved a lot of things around. i moved the one rock back over to the left side, and most of the wood back to the left side. i then moved all the stem plants from the middle, over to the right side. 

i trimmed all the stem plants a few inches and replanted the trimmings. i wanted more open space for the fish and for me to be able to watch them easier. i left the middle empty so that it creates depth because its a path all the way to the back of the tank. i really like this scape, even tho i said that about all my other ones. im going to let everything grow in a bit. 

i might tweak the left side a little. some of the ferns are poorly placed. i cant wait to get my 20 RCS next week. i really need to catch my african clawed frog and return him because he will eat my shrimp. when i bought him, i thought he was a dwarf frog but nope the stupid employee gave me the clawed one.

anyways, heres a FTS(STILL cloudy after a whole day):








left side:








right side:








center:








my new black male guppy:








my new white balloon molly:








my new female white/blue betta:








sorry about the poor fish pics, i quickly snapped them but u can tell what they look like lol. the 1 male guppy is mostly jet black with orange markings on its body. i love my 1 fat ole snow white balloon molly. this is my first time getting a molly, and i love him so much, and i got 1 female betta. i thought it would be neat to get a female betta for my community. she is so much fun to watch, and she swims all over the place at all depths. its really nice having a peaceful community tank of all sorts of fish that swim in all depths of the tank. i have cories, loaches on the bottom, tetras and neons in the middle, a hatchet fish at the top, and 2 guppies, a molly, 15 ghost shrimp, and a female betta that are all over the place. so much fun to watch. i have a chair right infront of the tank in my room.
/rant.

comments welcomed of course, let me know what u think of the new scape etc


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

well the lights turned on today and the tank cleared up even more and i just really liked how it looked. i snapped 2 quick pics from far away so u can see the whole tank, and my messy room. they are blurry and poor quality but u get the idea. when the tank grows in a bit, ill take another pic of it from further away, ill add some photoshop effects to it, and make it look real nice. btw, i just added that hood last night. i forgot i had it since it was buried in the basement!


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## Trallen44 (Dec 10, 2008)

Your tank looks great! It looks like you have come a long way from your fist pics. You ought to get about 3 or 4 more hatchets for company. One thing I would watch for, with your female betta is her eating your shrimp. When I used to keep one in my 55, it would eat the ghost shrimp I put in there. I love your horseface loach! Someday I would like to have 10 or so of them in a tank.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

i almost overstocked right now with the new 3 fish i added. thanks for the warning on the betta eating shrimp. ive got a dozen or more ghost shrimp in my tank and the betta never showed any interest in them.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

haha well i tweaked my scape a good bit last night. i went in thinking im just going to do a 40% water change and maybe move some ferns around. i ended up spending about 2.5 hours. i took out all my narrow leave ferns and all my java ferns. there was a peice of driftwood under the mass of ferns so i took that out and its seeding my 12 gallon to help it cycle. neways, i took a picture of all the ferns layed out. ill post those pics tonight. so after all the ferns were taken out, i rearranged the manzanita branches and i like this layout sooo much better. after i placed the branches how i wanted, i added the narrow leave ferns. it was much easier to scape when the wood is already in place. i really like how the narrow ferns look now. they are closer together and all the same height and just look cleaner which is wat i was going for! i then added the java ferns back into the tank. i gathered 4 of my tallest ferns and added them at the back of the tank, next to the narrow ferns. it adds great contrast. the other ferns i just placed in lil areas where i cud fit them. all in all it looks even better and i will post pics tonight.

on a side note, the power went on and off real quick 2 days ago and i think it broke my filter somehow. i tried emptying the filter, checking everything is secured etc, refilling it, and turning it on and i can hear the motor but it doesnt suck up any water. also, when i did the 40% water change i added new water almost to the brim of the tank and this morning my mom found my lone african clawed frog in the next guest room across the hallway. i scooped him up and hes in a bucket cuz i have been wanting to return him for weeks but cud never catch him. very happy that he jumped out! i have pics of this incident as well.

i will post all these pics plus a FTS tonight.


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## honor (Apr 8, 2008)

sweet fan


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

honor said:


> sweet fan


nah it sucks


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## honor (Apr 8, 2008)

lol bummer.


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## demonbreedr16 (Jan 10, 2008)

organic sideburns said:


> haha well i tweaked my scape a good bit last night. i went in thinking im just going to do a 40% water change and maybe move some ferns around. i ended up spending about 2.5 hours. i took out all my narrow leave ferns and all my java ferns. there was a peice of driftwood under the mass of ferns so i took that out and its seeding my 12 gallon to help it cycle. neways, i took a picture of all the ferns layed out. ill post those pics tonight. so after all the ferns were taken out, i rearranged the manzanita branches and i like this layout sooo much better. after i placed the branches how i wanted, i added the narrow leave ferns. it was much easier to scape when the wood is already in place. i really like how the narrow ferns look now. they are closer together and all the same height and just look cleaner which is wat i was going for! i then added the java ferns back into the tank. i gathered 4 of my tallest ferns and added them at the back of the tank, next to the narrow ferns. it adds great contrast. the other ferns i just placed in lil areas where i cud fit them. all in all it looks even better and i will post pics tonight.
> 
> on a side note, the power went on and off real quick 2 days ago and i think it broke my filter somehow. i tried emptying the filter, checking everything is secured etc, refilling it, and turning it on and i can hear the motor but it doesnt suck up any water. also, when i did the 40% water change i added new water almost to the brim of the tank and this morning my mom found my lone african clawed frog in the next guest room across the hallway. i scooped him up and hes in a bucket cuz i have been wanting to return him for weeks but cud never catch him. very happy that he jumped out! i have pics of this incident as well.
> 
> i will post all these pics plus a FTS tonight.


 
1) Check your filter's impeller and clean that of ANY debries. One time, my 29's filter just DIED; and I cleaned it really well; and it worked like when I first bought the 29!

2) I loved my ACF...but I kept him seperate from the other fish. I feed him dead danios along with dead neon and glowlight tetras. He was my favorite frog ever and I kept him into a 5 gallon hex.

Can't wait to see the pictures.


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## funkyfish (Mar 16, 2009)

The tank looks great  
Can't wait to see more!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

heres the newest pics. i did a 40% water change last night so the tank is so clear its great. i didnt use any photoshop for these pics like i do for all my past pics cuz i got lazy and didnt feel like it. i also added a black background to the tank, but it isnt big enough so dont mind that.

i pulled out all the ferns cept a few and layed them out: 








heres the tank with most of the ferns taken out and after i took out some water:








and heres a FTS, the ferns look better imo now, i moved all my chain swords to the middle, and i also changed the arrangement of the branches. no more jungle!(LOW TECH FTW!):
















notice the grey oval stone at the bottom left. i have about a dozen of these all diff sizes and i want to add them to my scape but i want it to look natural. any suggestions as to where to place them etc?

this is my AFC who jumped out of my tank and went across the hallway into our guest room. hes ok and i returned him to a fish store cuz im gettin RCS soon and dont want him eating them.









comments appreciated! ill update next week wen i add 20 RCS etc


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

now that ive thinned out some of the stems and rearranged the ferns i feel like its missing some kind of plant. maybe some reds? i might get some crypts, or some anubias to add a diff. leaf to the scape. thoughts??


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

Is this the tank you bought my lights for? I can't believe you started this tank in 06, wow. Good stuff man.


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## cah925 (May 18, 2007)

organic sideburns said:


> now that ive thinned out some of the stems and rearranged the ferns i feel like its missing some kind of plant. maybe some reds? i might get some crypts, or some anubias to add a diff. leaf to the scape. thoughts??


One of my favorite crypts is the Wendtii 'green gecko'. Mine has always put out some nice reds and yellows on the leaves. Here's a pic I took of a shrimp on the crypt. It's not the best pic, but you can see the leaf color.

You could also try L. repens or a red lotus. For anubias, I have always enjoyed the look of Anubias coffefolia with the wrinkled leaves.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

What a difference. Are you planning on leaving the middle empty? I kind of like it without anything in the center. It gives your eye a rest.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

sewingalot said:


> What a difference. Are you planning on leaving the middle empty? I kind of like it without anything in the center. It gives your eye a rest.


im hoping for the chain swords to spread over time and cover all the open gravel. idk tho, i might add some stems in the middle towards the back, and trim them so the stems go from shortest to all the way to the surface.

update pics in 2 days when i get my RCS and add a background.

on a side note, ive noticed that ever since my filter stopped working, my tank has never been clearer. it looks like im running a UV light and i love it. im guessing the HOB filter kept stirring up debris making the tank slightly cloudy. i want to add a new filter, but dont want cloudy water


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

well heres an update of my tank. i spent over 3 hours last night doing complete rescape. basically i moved the rocks and wood and ferns about 7 inches to the right. its a lil off center, which looks more natural to me. i moved the hygro to the back right and moved the rest of the stems to the left side of the tank. 

i covered the perimeter of the rock/wood scape with river rocks and stacked some large river rocks near teh back of the "island". i removed all the java moss from the wood and covered the entire foreground on the left side with it. i left the right sides foreground empty for the time being. im getting some riccia from someone from here. it should be here by monday. anyways, here is a FTS:








heres the center of the tank. i like this rock/wood scape a lot more than the old!:








heres a neat pic of my wood shrimp hanging upside down on a branch.:








the growth of the sunset hygro. it grows a few inches a week! fast for a tank with no o2, medium light, and no ferts! it also looks a lot greener and healthier/cleaner ever since my filter broke a week or 2 ago. i havent fixed the filter yet and for some reason my tank looks cleaner than ever and my plants never have any debris/brown dust on them. why is that??:









just a pic of my pruned hands and a tiny crypt i found. i tried uprooting it and the root traveled across the entire tank! it was unbelievable! i ended up snapping the root after i dug up 6 or so inches of it. that crypt must have been there for years!:
















my 12 gallon JB nano that just finished cycling and is no just sitting there until i think of what to do with it!(any ideas?):









as always comments, tips, suggestions, or any input is appreciated! thanks!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

bump.....


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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

i like the re-scape, it looks good. are you thinking about adding any reds in there? oh, wait i minute, lol, there are some...( after looking again) it that your camera or the bulbs that you are using that make everything look so green?


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Wow it looks so different. I really like it. I like most of your scapes, though. How do you feel about this one in particular? I wonder if I will ever get used to the idea that your tank looks better than mine.


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## FrostyNYC (Nov 5, 2007)

I love how green it is. I think it looks great. It still looks like a jungle, and definitely not like a brand new fresh rescape. It's going to be an impenetrable green wall in a month or two.  The only thing Im not a big fan of are the moss rocks in the front. I'd just let the tenellus run across the whole tank, myself.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

oldpunk78 said:


> i like the re-scape, it looks good. are you thinking about adding any reds in there? oh, wait i minute, lol, there are some...( after looking again) it that your camera or the bulbs that you are using that make everything look so green?


i want to add some more red plants but my tank is low tech so im not sure i can keep many. and yes my camera gives my tank that greenish tint. i need to mess with the settings some more. my next set of pics will be how my tank looks in real life!


sewingalot said:


> Wow it looks so different. I really like it. I like most of your scapes, though. How do you feel about this one in particular? I wonder if I will ever get used to the idea that your tank looks better than mine.


im not satisfied with the new scape. i like it, but i need to tweak certain things like move a few branches, move the narrow leave ferns around better, and work on filling in the left and right sides of the tank with those hygro stems etc. i might be getting my press. co2 set up fixed so i may turn this tank into a high tech in a bit.


FrostyNYC said:


> I love how green it is. I think it looks great. It still looks like a jungle, and definitely not like a brand new fresh rescape. It's going to be an impenetrable green wall in a month or two.  The only thing Im not a big fan of are the moss rocks in the front. I'd just let the tenellus run across the whole tank, myself.


yea the tank is over 5 years old so its always a jungle to me. i want to work on my trimming techniques and make a thick bush of my sunset hygro on the right side. 

thanks for the comments!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

When you learn how to trim, tell me! I suck at it.


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

well its been a few months and i havent done much to the tank. i went atleast 2.5 months w/out touching the tank cuz i kinda lost interest and got lazy but i have some new pics to show what it looks like currently.

heres what the tank looked like a few days ago. the water evaporation is embarassing lol but here ya go:









i used the flash to show how the wisteria started growing out of the water. i thought it looked cool

closer view:








another:









and heres the most recent pic, i filled the tank up with water and i also found a ton of these lotus plants that i had no idea were in my tank cuz they were hidden under the mass of ferns etc. i pulled them out and placed them on the right side and now its becoming a lotus jungle. i think its neat tho kinda messy:









sry for bad quality pics, i took them in a hurry and just wanted to show u guys how my tank is doing!


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