# Jpappy789's low tech, dirted 20 gallon long- NOW WITH FISH!



## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Super excited to have an aquarium again! 

Flora:
-Sagittaria subulata
-Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Green'
-Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Red'
-Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Tropica'
-Cryptocoryne spiralis
-Anubias barteri 'Coffeefolia'
-Microsorum pteropus
-Ludwigia repens
-Hydrocotyle leucocephala
-Vallisneria americana
-Hygrophila difformis
-Rotala indica/rotundifolia

Fauna: TBD

Substrate: Miracle Gro Organic Choice (~1-1.5") capped with Eco Complete fine grain (~1.5-2"). 

Ferts/Carbon: Plan on reduced EI with full Excel dosing

Lighting: Current Satellite LED+ (24-36"). 

Equipment: 2 Aquaclear 20/minis, Hydor heater

Params: Currently cycling 

Apologies for the blurry pic, camera phone isn't the best. Looks a bit better in person...


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## Chrisinator (Jun 5, 2008)

Great start!!


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Great to see you as a member and posting here on TPT, my AC friend.
Your tank looks good - Any fauna decisions made yet ?


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## lindavon (Jan 21, 2013)

Awesome driftwood. Did you find it or buy it? Looking good!


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Chrisinator said:


> Great start!!


Thanks Chris! Say, now that I've been thinking about it more, I might go the peacock gudgeon route. Do you think they would do fine with the activity of furcatus and dwarf chain loaches (A. sidthimunki)? If so, how many would you suggest? 



discuspaul said:


> Great to see you as a member and posting here on TPT, my AC friend.
> Your tank looks good - Any fauna decisions made yet ?


Good to see you too paul! Learned a lot already talking with the plant experts here.

Still trying to decide what to add, but I've narrowed it down.



lindavon said:


> Awesome driftwood. Did you find it or buy it? Looking good!


Bought it at the LFS here in Gainesville. I love the piece too, except it hasn't sunk on its own yet (hence the rock on top of it right now).


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## Chrisinator (Jun 5, 2008)

My peacocks we're never shy when I kept them so they should do fine with the loaches and furcatas. I would recommend getting just a couple caves/PVC pipes for them. Lastly, the only challenges I would say would be feeding them but, if I recall, furcatas have smaller mouthes so they should be able to compete. I would go with 4 of them since there's plenty of space, you may even be able to do 6 later on.


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Good to hear! I'm going to see what fills in with the plants and then set up some more hardscape.

Trying to find a suitable "upper level" solitary fish, something maybe like a honey gourami or another anabantoid, that I would like. Open to suggestions!


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

I think you are going to need Co2 addition like Seachem excel or alternative 

For scaping ideas check out 29G tank


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

jpappy789 said:


> Ferts/Carbon: Plan on reduced EI *with full Excel dosing*


Already have that covered.

And the link doesn't work...


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

jpappy789 said:


> Ferts/Carbon: Plan on reduced EI with full Excel dosing


Oops! Missed that. Cheaper version is Metricide or Cidex. Not cidex odt. Calculator for solution here.

Photography Rule of Thirds.

rah-bop did it in his 29 Gallon


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Yep, I know there are cheaper glut options but not very comfortable mixing more concentrated chemicals in my apartment right now. I'm ok eating the extra costs right now, and will probably end up buying the 5 gal when I run out of the 500 ml bottle.

Still can't see the link.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

jpappy789 said:


> Yep, I know there are cheaper glut options but not very comfortable mixing more concentrated chemicals in my apartment right now.
> 
> Still can't see the link.


I have a chemical sensitivity problem, yet still managed to mix it. Used a old fert bottle (16oz) that has part on top of cap to pour chem. I did a 16:1 of water:chem. Thus it didn't take log to fill up. Dosage is 10ml daily. 

I am not having any problem with the link. I just left click on the blue word.


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

You must have edited the post then because I can click it now...anyways, I'm well aware of the "rule of thirds" but it's not something I am going to apply to the tank right away. At this point I'm experimenting with a new (to me) lighting system and a fert regime that will take some tweaking. I'm more going to see what all does well and then go from there. I'm not too concerned with creating a perfect aquascape...I just want some healthy plants and a full tank.

As for the glut...may try it in the future, but given the tank size I am perfectly fine going the Excel route right now. Thanks for the mixing link though, will take that into consideration in the future.


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

So for stocking, I'm thinking...

6-8 furcatas
6-8 sids
4 or so peacock gudgeons
3-4 otos

I'd like to add maybe a honey gourami or something similar (T. vittata would be cool if I could ever find one) but I seem to be maxed out. Thoughts?


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Any further suggestions on stocking?

Moonlight pic.


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## tylergvolk (Jun 17, 2012)

We have similar 20L's / dosing plans in the works at the moment. I also have a friend who has family in Gainesville. Kinda cool.

I like your tank. I bet your going to have great growth. Can't wait to see. Keep us posted.


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

tylergvolk said:


> We have similar 20L's / dosing plans in the works at the moment. I also have a friend who has family in Gainesville. Kinda cool.
> 
> I like your tank. I bet your going to have great growth. Can't wait to see. Keep us posted.


I too noticed that we're doing similar things with our 20's...funny enough, I'm originall from the MSP area (Eagan, specifically)! I kind of miss the fish/plant resources back there. Not much to choose from in north central FL.

Hoping to get some good growth and that planting well off to begin with will give me a boost. Definitely will be updating as much as possible!


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## hambone870 (Feb 13, 2013)

20 long could be one of the more versatile smaller stock aquarium sizes

so much you can do with em, looking great

subscribed jpappy


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

I really like them myself, and thanks for the help with the MGOCPM/EC substrate. It's early, but I'm thinking it will be a good choice.


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## hambone870 (Feb 13, 2013)

jpappy789 said:


> I really like them myself, and thanks for the help with the MGOCPM/EC substrate. It's early, but I'm thinking it will be a good choice.


i love the look of that fine grade eco-complete, looks excellent


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Me too. Granted, it wasn't as inexpensive as other sand I've used...but it looks really nice and hopefully a high CEC will help.


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## Tankaddiction (Aug 17, 2013)

*Great tank!*

The wood is beautiful! Plant choices are sooooo nice! Stocking...have you seen the dwarf Cory and the dwarf Mexican crawfish and Amano shrimp for the maintenance crew? They are very good cleaners and very entertaining to watch!


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Thanks! I can't tell if I really like the tank as much as I do or if I just feel better having a tank again.

I was thinking habrosus or pygmaeus before, but the reason I switched was because I want A. sidthimunki again, one of my favorites I used to keep. Not entirely invert safe though.

I'll probably keep corys again in another tank.


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Received a EZ TDS meter, not to use for my aquarium but it was fun to play with...

Tap is 195 ppm. Tank is around 300-310 ppm, but I've just started fert dosing. 

And just as a general warning to others...

If you get RO from your LFS, for whatever reason (I use it for carnivorous plants, not fish, which is why I bought the TDS meter), don't always trust them. I tested the 5 gallons I bought and it keeps registering at 210 ppm! So worse than my tap in that regard.

Granted, it's only a $20 meter so nothing very scientific...but scary to say the least. Not sure if their membranes are exhausted and I just caught it at the wrong time or what but I hate to think what issues that could cause to people who don't catch the problem.


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Starting to look better each day. Some of the crypts are melting, but the were a bit oversized for my tank anyways, some newer compact growth would be nice. 

Also have some mosses and floaters on the way from the kind ROAKers here!

Shot of my carnivorous plant rack just for fun. Not the best the plants have looked, needs some recovery after the long move.


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## hambone870 (Feb 13, 2013)

Seriously love this 

I like the idea of more compact growth on crypts, never thought of it like that. Sure a positive outlook! I just had a melt from my most established plants. I was actually doing a rescape and pulls the plants out. I thought maybe I had em out for to long. Never happened to me before so I was sure surprised.


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Yeah I had a red/bronze for a while when I first started in a low tech tank and it stayed nice and compact planted near the front. Upgraded the lighting and it ended up getting too big. I'm not a big scaper but I think they make a good transition between the foreground plants and background stems. Don't want them blocking out the things near the back.

It's hard to tell in the other pics because the leaves were all tangled up still, but the current crypts had leaves reaching the surface. Huge established root systems too. Most of those seem to have melted (except the spiralis which looks like an out of place Val) but there's newer, lower growth.


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## hambone870 (Feb 13, 2013)

I can't wait for my crypts to get big and meaty

By my calculations it may take years...

Your scape looks great and once they fill it will be tremendous 

My hardest this about scaping is just finding the right materials and plants. I've looked at 100s of pieces and not been in love and I would have bought your piece if I saw that thing in person. 

^^^^^this sounds weird, I know^^^^^


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

I'm just hoping for a tank full of healthy plants, I tend to get too finicky moving plants around and it usually turns out worse. I'm less than a week in so there's still a lot of time.

I got lucky with the wood, just wish it would sink already...


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## hambone870 (Feb 13, 2013)

jpappy789 said:


> I'm just hoping for a tank full of healthy plants, I tend to get too finicky moving plants around and it usually turns out worse. I'm less than a week in so there's still a lot of time.
> 
> I got lucky with the wood, just wish it would sink already...


My new goal is to stop messing around with moving plants all the time. Set it and forget it type mentality. I believe that I'll see some fuller growth when I stop un rooting the plants every month and give them some time to really establish themselves in the miracle grow


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Lotus making a nice side shoot


Dwarf sags already sending out runners



Wisteria switching to submersed growth


Some Crypt melt...


...making way for some new growth


Rotala growing towards the lights, not sure if I'll get much red out of them but still a nice plant


New Anubias leaves


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

Nice selection of plants and the tank is coming along nicely.
You might want to cut off decaying leaves (crypts and others) - less decay and less un-accounted for nutrients coming into the tank.

Rosy loaches would feel right at home http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/yunnanilus-sp-rosy/

v2


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Thank you! I removed some of the dead crud I noticed after snapping the pics.

For whatever reason the rosy doesn't look that attractive to me...:icon_conf


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Cycle coming along nicely. Nitrite practically spiked overnight! Ammonia still hovering around 2 ppm.


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## tylergvolk (Jun 17, 2012)

You tank looks great. Thanks for the close up pictures. I love to see the growth. I've had Dwarf Sag and Lotus in MGOCPM before that the growth is awesome. 

Enjoy. =)


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Same here, a big reason why I went with the plants again!


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## usgetata (Dec 28, 2012)

Love the wood. Your choice of plants really make the landscape look like a "under river side by the root of the tree" kind of feel.


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Thanks! Good to hear my tank has a "feel" to it...I tend to just plant haphazardly without much thought.


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## hambone870 (Feb 13, 2013)

tylergvolk said:


> You tank looks great. Thanks for the close up pictures. I love to see the growth. I've had Dwarf Sag and Lotus in MGOCPM before that the growth is awesome.
> 
> Enjoy. =)


Yup dwarf sag is about as hardy of a foreground as you can get...

I just wish it was a bit smaller because in those tanks less the 20 gallons they are almost mid-ground to background sized


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

I've had some carpet really well with MGOCPM under CFL lighting in a 10g, may have ended up being more light than the LED+ but we'll see what happens with the runners. There's a little bit of melt on the older plants now.


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Did some more tidying up.

Getting a bit worried about the Rotala. I woke up to find some stems floating, probably because the bottoms were beginning to rot. Either I was too careless when planting and they were damaged or they aren't getting enough light since it seemed to be the ones towards the back. Another possibility is that they were too close to the heater...or still adjusting. I don't really know at this point. Replanted the larger ones a bit more delicately so we'll see if it continues to be a problem.

The Vals also seems to be struggling a bit. I got them from my LFS so they weren't all that nice looking to begin with, but they are a bit shaded too in the back. I suppose it _could _be the Excel, but I've never once seen them be affected by it.

The newer dwarf sag growth on the older plants looks to be bending over more instead of shooting straight up first. Which is good, I like that look.


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Just found this little bugger. Been manually adding some miniscule pond/bladder and MTS from some ROAK moss I received, but not sure where this guy has been hiding thus far. Gotta love free hitchhikers! 



Real trooper too. The 50% change helped lower nitrite to around 0.50-1.0 ppm, ammonia to about 1.0-2.0 ppm but impressive that they've survived the spikes so far.


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## Bradleyv1714 (Jul 25, 2011)

I bought some ludwigia and some other plants but my light is take a little longer than I thought! My plants are looking kinda bad right now. Errr


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Some new pics!

Cycle is getting there...kinda hard to tell. Nitrite spiked this week and is now down to about 0.25 ppm but I forgot to test before the 50% change so in theory it dropped down to about 1 ppm. Nitrate showing 10 ppm after the change but was adding KNO3 too so even at 20 ppm not sure how much was from the cycle itself. Gunna let it bottom out then add some NH3 again and see what happens. Honestly never had to cycle a planted tank from scratch so the whole plant-effect is something I've never had to account for either.

Driftwood seems to be sinking now! But it doesn't quite sit how I want it to yet so the rock remains for now.

Reconsidering the P. furcatus now after reading they only live about 2 years max and I'm not ready to breed them yet. Any suggestions for not-so-normal schoolers that have a lot of color? Something that isn't your average tetra/barb/rasbora but not super difficult to find. Also with a longer lifespan ideally since that's why I'm not getting the furcatus. I've kept M. praecox before but would love to try something different too!


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Some pics on the dawn/dusk setting.


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## tattooedfool83 (Mar 15, 2013)

Sweet scape, love how it looks


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

jpappy789 said:


> Reconsidering the P. furcatus now after reading they only live about 2 years max. Any suggestions for not-so-normal schoolers that have a lot of color? http://s1350.photobucket.com/user/j.../IMG_20130831_182203_567_zps4b46e1c1.jpg.html


How about Dwarf rasbora.


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Probably will be doing some Boraras in my 15g once this one is setup. I should have mentioned that I'd also like them to be about 2-2.5" adult size. I'm afraid nano fish are a bit too small considering the rest of my tank mates. Need to be large enough and active enough to not get pushed around during feeding time.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

jpappy789 said:


> Probably will be doing some Boraras in my 15g once this one is setup. I'd also them to be about 2-2.5" adult size. Need to be large enough and active enough to not get pushed around during feeding time.


My favorite fish are the Gold Pristellia Tetra. They are very active and appear snow white in the tank.


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

So my ammonia and nitrite decided to spike again. 

Tonight I tested, 2.0 ppm NH3 and about 5.0 ppm NO2. 

Haven't added ammonia since the nitrite spike over a week ago. Again, after the water change and it settled down to about .25 ppm. No ammonia either and I haven't shown any since the spike. 

So it was a 50% change Saturday. Removed some decaying plant matter and some mulm from the surface. Otherwise nothing.

Tap shows all zeros. Again, nothing added, outside of Prime during water changes and Excel + reduced EI levels (haven't really bothered to test NO3 because of the ferts). 

I find it very hard to believe that decaying plants (most plants are seeing much more growth and little to no die back now) and some snails spike the ammonia/nitrite up that much in the matter of three days. Especially after dosing to 2-3 ppm initially and getting no ammonia, and then seeing nitrite drop partially on its own. 

I was hoping things would bottom out soon and then I could add ammonia again and see where things stand. But now it's like there wasn't any progress at all. :icon_sad:


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Ammonia zero. Nitrite unchanged.


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## Calivivarium1 (Aug 31, 2013)

Lookin good! I'm really tempted to break my attempts at a biotope and add some anubias in this tank... I love the smaller varieties.


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Thanks Cali, everything is growing great for the most part...just need this cycle to finish. Ammonia/nitrite still unchanged.


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Well, good news! Nitrite down to 0.5-1 ppm and nitrate spiked to 40+ ppm!


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Nitrite at 0 ppm today before the water change! Dosing some NH3 tonight and we'll see where we're at tomorrow.


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## tylergvolk (Jun 17, 2012)

Looks like you got a handle on things. Show us more pictures!


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

*sigh*

Looks like I'm not in the clear. Dosed to about 2 ppm NH3 last night...today I ended up with 0.25-0.5 ppm NH3, 5+ ppm NO2, and ~40 ppm NO3. 

Did a series of water changes and the NO2 is down to 0.25 ppm. Which is really weird since I did a 25% change followed by a 50% change. If I'm doing the math correctly that means I should have started with around 2 ppm, so my eyes aren't good at discerning shades of purple? Who knows. 

For some reason there's still a holdup on the NO2 >>> NO3 step.


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## shambhalove. (Jan 22, 2013)

jpappy789 said:


> For some reason there's still a holdup on the NO2 >>> NO3 step.


There always is :smile:

When it finally happens it seems to just drop one day. Once the ammonia can be brought down to 0 over 24h then you know your getting closer to the nitrite doing the same.


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

shambhalove. said:


> There always is :smile:
> 
> When it finally happens it seems to just drop one day. Once the ammonia can be brought down to 0 over 24h then you know your getting closer to the nitrite doing the same.


Yeah, tends to be the long step.

The problem is that I've already seen the drop...for both ammonia and nitrite.

But when a decent amount of ammonia is added again it isn't being processed quick enough all the way to nitrate. Or there's still something undetected that generating a large amount of ammonia, which is pushing the system over what it has been able to handle thus far...


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

At least the plants are growing well.


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## tylergvolk (Jun 17, 2012)

Plants! Plants! Plants!

Tank looks good!

Almost time to stock?

hope so...

=)


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Not quite yet. Ammonia/nitrite bottomed out again so I dosed to 2 ppm NH3 Monday night. Yesterday night the nitrite was still showing a deep purple. Tonight it was back down to 0 ppm though, so I'm dosing again to see what happens.

Last time I thought I was in the clear I ended up with a huge spike...so I want to be 100% certain before I add fish.


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Nitrite at 0.5-1.0 ppm, Nitrate back up to 40+

The end is near.


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## tylergvolk (Jun 17, 2012)

Whoa, your nitrates are high.

How long since you filled?

Where did you purchase your tds meter?


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

I've been dosing KNO3. I wasn't sure how efficiently NO3 was being produced by the cycle given it's been stuck at NO2 for so long and I didn't want to starve the plants in the mean time. Doing a modified EI and I get about 10 ppm NO3 from that weekly based on what the calculators say, so the rest is from the cycle I suppose.

Doing 50% changes every Saturday.

TDS meter was from Amazon. If you search "EZ TDS meter" it's actually on sale for like $20 shipped, cheaper if you have Amazon Prime.


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## peachii (Jun 1, 2013)

Tanks looks great! I love that driftwood.

I really love my gold barbs. I have a school in my 29 gallon, affectionally named the them all Banana - not the banana barbs although they are just as pretty. They are very active and the males get a very pretty bright red stripe down the belly and on their noses. They are also a great size and their color pops extremely well against the plants. 
Borrowed from google, mine never stop moving for a good picture.


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

That was one that popped up as a potential stocking option, I've also been toying with the idea of snakeskin barbs ('Puntius' rhomboocellatus) although not sure if they are suitable for a 20 long.


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

And we're cycled!!!!

:bounce:


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## tylergvolk (Jun 17, 2012)

Awesome! What's next?

Can't wait til mine cycles...


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

tylergvolk said:


> Awesome! What's next?
> 
> Can't wait til mine cycles...


Saving up some money for fish...:hihi:

I ended up snagging a 10g from Petco to use as a QT tank for now. Needed to get filter/heaters for that and my 15g that's been sitting empty too.

Picked up some more Eco Complete from my LFS...wasn't impressed by any fish there, unfortunately. Probably going to be ordering online when the time comes. Kinda busted open my budget for the time being.


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## tattooedfool83 (Mar 15, 2013)

What kind of fish are you thinking about?


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Not entirely sure.

The 20 long is definitely going to have some A. sidthimunki. I'm thinking also maybe snakeskin barbs and possibly dwarf gourami, if I can find good stock. 

The 15 gal will likely be nano fish...Dario, Boraras, etc. 

Thinking the 10 gal will eventually become a peacock gudgeon/Pseudomugil tank. Then will probably pick up a new QT tank at some point


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## shambhalove. (Jan 22, 2013)

Congrats on a finished cycle! Now to test your patience is other ways :hihi:

Tank looks awesome too!!

How are ya liking the dirt? Its an idea ive been juggling lately but i have a habit of constantly pulling stuff up and moving plants around so im still hesitant.


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

I'm liking it so far...had good results in the past with low tech tanks but I was the same way, kept feeling that I needed to rearrange things. This time I'm trying to just let things go for the most part. I've trimmed when plants have gotten overgrown, which is a nice way to start filling up my other tanks. I moved the C. wendtii 'green' and Bacopa stems out and to the 15 since they were getting swallowed up.


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Trying my luck with a dwarf gourami I found at the LFS. Currently in QT with some pygmy corys that will be going in the 15g.


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## tattooedfool83 (Mar 15, 2013)

Nice


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Unfortunately, lost the habrosus and one of the pygmies overnight...the rest look fine, but still a bit worried. This was the first time the LFS stocked any and so I'm not sure if they were in a good condition when I bought them. Add in the fact that the guy bagging accidentally scooped up the habrosus with the group of pygmaeus I wanted, and I'm not sure they really knew what they were doing.

The rest are still very active and eating, so fingers crossed they are ok.


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## tattooedfool83 (Mar 15, 2013)

Did he clean the net before he scooped the fish from the tank?


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

tattooedfool83 said:


> Did he clean the net before he scooped the fish from the tank?


I wasn't paying attention (trying to pick out plants at the same time), but I don't think it would make a large difference since most of their tanks are on a central system from what I can tell. Unless you meant clean with chemicals? In which case, I don't know for sure but I doubt it.

I'm more inclined to believe it isn't a batch of high quality stock given their inexperience with these corys...I asked how they were feeding and he didn't really give me an answer other then "they're scavengers" so no idea whether they were being fed well.


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## tattooedfool83 (Mar 15, 2013)

I meant with chemicals. Some places sit tree nets in chemicals to clean the nets between dunks. And if they don't rinse beforehand could create Problems. I love those answers, the best are when they are so misinformed yet so sure they are right


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Another unfortunate update here: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?p=4504409&posted=1#post4504409

But fish on the way! Decided to go with "nano" fish in this tank instead of larger fish...A. sidthimunki are too expensive and only a few online vendors have them. 

So currently there are 5 C. pygmaeus and I'll be adding 6 more and a group of 10 Nannostomus from Msjinxd. Also have a few sparkling gouramis and some T. espei coming to finish up the stock. All should be arriving next week!


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## tattooedfool83 (Mar 15, 2013)

its like a slice of nature, looking real good


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Both orders arrived...and my tank is now stocked! Only one didn't survive (one sparkling gourami), and I can't even be certain if it was DOA or not because it was delivered hours before I expected it and couldn't get home in time.

But everyone else seems happy and healthy! It's so funny watching everyone school together. Literally all the fish try to keep up with each other, usually the T. espei are in front...they're pretty spastic. Pygmy corys are now out and about which is a good sign. I guess they just needed some reassurance that it was ok to not hide.

So current stocking is:

-3 sparkling gouramis (T. pumila)
-12 Espei rasboras (T. espei)
-10 dwarf pencilfish (N. marginatus)
-12 pygmy corys (C. pygmaeus)

It's a bit full :icon_eek:

Did an early water change since I'm out of town tomorrow but not enough time to thin any of the plants out, so it looks a bit overgrown. Ignore the diatoms...


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Video I took last week when the pics were taken...sorry for the weird blue reflections in this and the pic. 

Everyone's still happy and healthy, although there still seems to be some lingering tension between the sparkling gouramis...hopefully it gets worked out as I've had a trio do fine in a smaller space, but I can always move if necessary. 

Also need to get to work on a smaller, meaty food source (ordering from Sachs soon, most likely, and probably setting up a "worm" culture). Was kind of comical watching the small mouths try to swallow frozen bloodworms but they were just too big. Any suggestions on how to get those pieces smaller in the mean time? I tried manual blending (in a cup) but it didn't work too well. Crushed flakes are still being used as a staple but I don't want to rely on them too much.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

jpappy789 said:


> Also need to get to work on a smaller, meaty food source


Try Kens


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Which Ken's food specifically? 

I was actually looking to go more of the live-culture route (Daphnia, etc.) of something small, mostly because I'm thinking about going with some fish that don't like prepared food so much in another tank. I've corresponded with the people at Sach's before so I have an idea of what is possible, just need to buck up and order soon.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

jpappy789 said:


> Which Ken's food specifically?
> I was actually looking for live-culture route (Daphnia, etc.)
> 
> I've corresponded with the people at Sach's before.


Ken's food is dry food.

Is that Sachs Systems Aquaculture? They seem expensive. Seems it would be cheaper to get a culture from member of Fla aquarium association or member of this forum or Ebay.


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