# Dood's 75G



## thedood (May 30, 2015)

My 55G was an epic failure. The unfortunate uprising on a piece of driftwood and the subsequent and unfortunate polluting of the water column afterwards prompted me to tear the tank down. I have moved all flora over to my 75G. 

I am running a 48in shop lamp with 2 32 watt 6700K fluorescents. Filtration is an aquaclear powerhead with an ati sponge pre-filter. Substrate is yard dirt and el-cheapo no ferts potting soil mixed together. O+ was down under the soil. The cap is fine white sand. I think it looks nice just needs to fill out some. .


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

Update time. A lot has happened since I set this up most of it good! I am very pleased with this tank except for a few things. I will start with the less than optimum and go to the good stuff.

*The not so good:*
To start with I will never use white sand in a planted tank again unless ever square inch of sand is covered, or going to be covered, with plants. Like most new planted tanks, from what I am reading, had an outbreak of brown algae. No problem except it turned the top of my sand brown. With the plants setup trying to turn the sand over is kind of tedious. What I am going to do soon is add more sand over the top since I have plenty of it. Any substrates or caps I use going forward will be dark unless I have a specific reason to use white.

My Vesuvius sword totally melted. I took and split a runner from my 10 and planted those. I thought that a lack of nutrients might be the issue since they are planted on an edge where t is all sand. I placed thre O+ filled gel caps along that edge of the tank about 1 1/2 weeks ago and they are coming out of it somewhat but I am still disappointed in the way they look. Hopefully they get to growing and fill out some. 

I have a little cyano along the front edge of the tank between the sand and the glass. That area gets well lit in the morning when the sun is rising unless it is cloudy. I fought cyano in that tank when I had cichlids in it. I am using the same type of substrate/cap as I had with the cichlids and I really think it is playing a role coupled with the strong light hitting it in the morning. The sand is a fine silica blasting sand and I am somewhat convinced though not totally sure that the silicates are part of the reason for the cyano.

I have some hair/stringy algae but not much. I also have a little algae on my plants that looks like the thread they use in stiches. Kind of like little black hairs on the leaves. It isnt a serious issue but it is unsightly. I am not doing to much to combat it at this point as I am going to try reducing the nutrients in the water to combat it. More on that in a bit. 

*The good stuff*
I added am hob filter filled with red lava rock on the back. I planted 4 pothos in the planter and they are growing like crazy. I am using these as a nitrogen sink as this tank has really high nitrates. I hope this and plant growth in my tank knocks out my algae problem.

My stems on the left side of the tank are growing great. I topped several of them that were getting tall and planted the tops in the same area to help fill out that side of the tank. I will see how the planted trimmings do.

My Amazon swords have doubled or more in size. They arent as dark green over the whole plant, some of the leaves are lighter I dont want to say yellow but not as dark. They look decent and are growing like crazy.

I have 3 anubias and they are there. They arent really growing but they arent dying either. they do have some algae on them. 

The two Java Ferns I have are alive. They both have new leaves but nothing spectacular.

The mosses have to be trimmed bi-weekly they are growing well. I had a very small piece of fissidens and it is growing.

The crypts are there. I have some growth but nothing mind blowing yet. I look forward to these filling out.

I bought nine oto 3 weeks ago and they are all fat, and I mean fat but not ill fat, and happy. So far none have died. They seem to be thriving, active, and feeding. Very cool little fish that I really enjoy. 

I added 3 nerites to the tank and who knows about them they seem to be hidden a lot. I can tell where they have come out of the sand as there will be a half dollar section of bright white sand where they broke the surface. All the other snails are thriving as well.

I added 14 or 15 Espei to the tank last night. So far so good but a night doesnt matter. These are active little guys so far that use up my whole 75g. I am going to enjoy these fish.

*What to do next*
I am buying 12 checker barbs after the holidays. I am also going to buy a handfull of kuhli loaches if I can find some with the quality I have in my other fish. My oto, espei, and nerites came from msjinkzd and I want the same quality in the kuhlis that I have in the others. I cant recommend msjinkzd enough. I also am looking at stocking a couple of gouramis as 'center piece' fish. I am looking at the giant/branded gouramis. If you have input on that selection getting along with the other fauna I mentioned that would be great. 

I am going to mod my filter. The filter is a Magnum 350 which I like but I need to improve a few things. One is flow and the other is water polishing. I will be creating a new thread either in diy or equipment about the mods I want to do.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

I haven't updated this journal in a while so I thought I would do that and upload a few new pics. 

I have added 9 oto, one of which died about a month in. The rest seem to be thriving. They were out all the time until I added 15 espei rasbora and now they only come out at night. 

I added the 15 espei and they promptly cleaned the tank of nematodes. They are an interesting little fish to watch. The filter on this tank is a magnum 350 and it generates a nice little current. The espei will swim into the outflow and let it fling them across the tank. Sometimes it will only be a few but a lot of times the whole school will join in on the fun.

I also added some cherry shrimp from my 10g. With the what used to be white sand the male shrimp have basically turned clear and the females look mottled. They are thriving and swimming all over the place. Several of the females are berried. It remains to be seen how many of the baby shrimp will survive the espei.

Here is an over view pic of the tank. 










Compared to this first pic you can see it has grown out nicely. I have a nice carpet of dwarf sag going. The crypts are growing nicely. The amazon swords are growing, one in particular is doing very well. The vesuvius sword has no dirt under them and they about died. Every one of the vesuvius sword had turned brown and the blades had collapsed. I added 3 O+ gel caps near them and they have bounced back. One has a runner with 2 or 3 new plants on it.

The bad:
I have bba on my wood and the moss that is attached to the wood that is closest to the light. The biggest amazon sword has some bba on one leaf that is close to the light.

Fine moss trimmings have ended up in my sag carpet and look a little unsightly.

More pics:

Can someone i.d this plant?









I think this is bacopa carolina?









Amazon sword. You can see the bba on one leaf. I am going to do my water change tomorrow and take some excel to it. The oto hang around back there and I had just tossed a wafer in for them that ended up in this pic. 

















Some crypts









Recovered vesuvius sword (one of my favorite plants). You can see a runner towards the back.









Dwarf sag and java fern. The area looks like a mess. The area has a lot of fine moss pieces. Trying to vacuum it is a pain because of the shrimp.









Anubias. I believe a nana and a petite. Please correct me if I am wrong. 









Another shot of my stem plants









Well thats my 75 as it sits. Thanks for looking.


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Coming along nicely. I believe the plant is Ludwigia repens


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

Thanks @burr740. I was thinking the plant is Ludwigia repens but I wasnt 100% positive. I have a few issues to work out but I am happy with the growth and my fish are doing well.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

*75G - Rescaped*

I was just not happy with my 75. I couldnt keep the sand white as I havent the time to properly care for it. One amazing thing. I had shrimp in this tank and I moved as many as I could back over to my shrimp tank. I removed all of my plants and put them in a 5 gallon bucket of water. The bucket was in a room that is cold, 60 degrees or so. When I replanted everything I will be dog gone if I dont have a cherry shrimp swimming around. That shrimp survived 3 days in a 60 degree bucket of water with no air air or circulation of any kind. Pretty amazing I think. I have some more dwarf sag to add, that stuff grows good and I had a lot more than I figured I did, and I have some alternanthera reineckii roseafolia tops to add yet. Here she is and in my opinion looks 10 times better.


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## nanoguy (Mar 12, 2006)

It does look better IMO. What substrate did you go with?


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

That is straight potting soil capped with 30/60 black diamond blasting sand.


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## nanoguy (Mar 12, 2006)

I've enjoyed my PFS but all these tanks are going to make me swap to black diamond sand.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

Ive got it in 3 tanks and I love it.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

Thought I would post an update. I installed a home built water polisher that contains floss and purigen. Works well. Here is a pic:


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

Three weeks growth.


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Good looking tank! Amazing how much growth you get in just 1 month.


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## Jeff5614 (Dec 29, 2005)

Who needs CO2!


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@Immortal1 and @Jeff5614 Thanks for the response and compliments. I dose glut every day, root tabs every few months (o+ in gel caps) other than that no ferts. No fancy lighting. I have been lucky and the tank has a balance. I do water changes of around 30% every week or two. I wish I was more artistic and could come up with that fancy layout every one oohs over lol. But hey I will take the growth and healthy eco system any day.


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## Goomie (Jul 21, 2015)

You don't need fancy aquascaping to get oohs and aahs. I think it's beautiful. But could use a little more red


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

Goomie said:


> You don't need fancy aquascaping to get oohs and aahs. I think it's beautiful. But could use a little more red


Thanks. I keep topping the roseafolia and planting new. It has more now than it did.


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## TaylorTurner (Mar 15, 2016)

This tank looks great. It's a very healthy, vibrant looking scene.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

TaylorTurner said:


> This tank looks great. It's a very healthy, vibrant looking scene.


Thanks, I appreciate the compliment!


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

thedood said:


> I wish I was more artistic and could come up with that fancy layout every one oohs over lol. But hey I will take the growth and healthy eco system any day.


After the dwarf sag fills in the front I'll be oohing and ahhing over this tank. This is my kind of tank! I love the densely planted, low tech, tanks. Probably because that's what I have done and am doing with my tank, but whatever; I'm biased. I like the tank more than the ones with the so called 'fancy' layouts.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Freemananana said:


> After the dwarf sag fills in the front I'll be oohing and ahhing over this tank. This is my kind of tank! I love the densely planted, low tech, tanks. Probably because that's what I have done and am doing with my tank, but whatever; I'm biased. I like the tank more than the ones with the so called 'fancy' layouts.


 +one^


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@Freemananana & @roadmaster Thanks for the compliments, much appreciated! I like the low tech tanks myself. I dont see myself going high tech any time soon. I tend to be more about the environment and ecosystem than I am the aquascaping, partially because I have the artistic skills of the common cockroach.


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

thedood said:


> @*Freemananana* & @*roadmaster* Thanks for the compliments, much appreciated! I like the low tech tanks myself. I dont see myself going high tech any time soon. I tend to be more about the environment and ecosystem than I am the aquascaping, partially because I have the artistic skills of the common cockroach.


I'm more of a palmetto bug myself, but I can see where you are coming from. The natural look of an overgrown tank is my goal. 


You've probably answered it, but what is the stem in the back right? I'll have to get some and add it to my tank. It looks dynamite!


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@Freemananana Thats L. Repens. I need to do a trim I have just been waiting until I finish the new setup I am working on. If you want some stems send me a pm I will hook you up.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

My tank today:


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@Immortal1 Look at this growth again 3 weeks later and AFTER a heavy trim lol. El Cheapo lights, no ferts (except root tabs), and no CO2. Low tech can indeed be lush!! My carpet is filling in well. @Freemananana Look at that carpet just 3 weeks later again. Coming along nice if I may say so myself. @Monrankim I hope you look at all of my pics here, especially the ones after I changed the substrate (major pita), and notice how after 3 months it has REALLY started taking off. Patience my friend patience!!

Bump: I wanted to mention that a couple of weeks ago I trimmed two pounds, yes two pounds, of plants out of this tank lol. I would have never have thought lol.

Bump: @Maryland Guppy Thanks for stopping by and giving me a like. Havent seen any floating goats lately have ya? LOL Cracks me up every time I think about it.


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Impressive looking tank!! Even more so without cO2, $300 lights and massive amounts of ferts.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

Immortal1 said:


> Impressive looking tank!! Even more so without cO2, $300 lights and massive amounts of ferts.


Thanks! I'm pretty happy with it. Not as nice as some as I have 0 artistic ability but the plants and fish are healthy so I am good with it.


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## number1sixerfan (Nov 10, 2006)

This thread really makes me want to take every single thing out of my tank and go dirted. 

Wow. Amazing tank. I'm a month in, and my swords aren't responding like that whatsoever.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@number1sixerfan Thanks for the compliment. The key is patience and to me with low tech just not over thinking everything. If you look at the large crypt on the left (there are 3 there its the one on the right of those) has really been the plant that impressed me as all of the crypts melted down pretty well but it has bounced back nicely and really taken off. It has a ton of new growth, I have 5 crypts (I dont know what they are I assume wendtii but if anyone can identify I appreciate that) and they have all bounced back and always have new growth. But it took 3 months for everything to balance out and take off really well. I have good luck with dirt but it has its drawbacks.


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## number1sixerfan (Nov 10, 2006)

thedood said:


> @number1sixerfan Thanks for the compliment. The key is patience and to me with low tech just not over thinking everything. If you look at the large crypt on the left (there are 3 there its the one on the right of those) has really been the plant that impressed me as all of the crypts melted down pretty well but it has bounced back nicely and really taken off. It has a ton of new growth, I have 5 crypts (I dont know what they are I assume wendtii but if anyone can identify I appreciate that) and they have all bounced back and always have new growth. But it took 3 months for everything to balance out and take off really well. I have good luck with dirt but it has its drawbacks.


Yea patience is definitely the key--I'm trying to accept that. I have a 92g low tech, and I have crypts doing well, S Repens doing pretty well, and AR/AR mini doing ok. The swords look better than when I got them (lfs), but yours are growing overnight like crazy lol

What's your lighting? And fert regimen? I'm using a planted 24/7 and plan on adding a kessil or two on the back. Osmocote tabs too.. your tank is just taking off so much quicker lol.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

I have a 48" 2 tube shop light with 2 32 watt 6500k bulbs with an on 4, off 7, on 4 schedule. I use O+ root tabs. I also dose excel and other than that no ferts.


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## Monrankim (May 28, 2016)

I find your light schedule very interesting. Why did you choose that specific pattern? 

Where did you find your cap substrate and about how much did you use?


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

Monrankim said:


> I find your light schedule very interesting. Why did you choose that specific pattern?
> 
> Where did you find your cap substrate and about how much did you use?


I use that schedule as it gets the plants going in the morning and then I can also have lights on at night when I am home. I bought my substrate at a place called farm and fleet. Any farm type store will have it. I'm looking to see what I can find in your area.


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

thedood said:


> Thanks! I'm pretty happy with it. Not as nice as some as I have 0 artistic ability but the plants and fish are healthy so I am good with it.


LOL, your right, you have 0 artistic ability. 
Fortunately your plants know what to do :grin2:


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@Immortal1 Gee thanks, you really know how to lift a dood up! LOL.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

Does this classify as a carpet yet?


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## GrampsGrunge (Jun 18, 2012)

I don't even have a carpet. Does BGA count as carpeting?


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

GrampsGrunge said:


> I don't even have a carpet. Does BGA count as carpeting?


A tank is a very personal thing. If it counts as carpet in your book who am I to disagree? I had bga along the front glass between the sub and the glass then once the dwarf sag grew along the glass the bga went away.


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Carpet is looking good!


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

Immortal1 said:


> Carpet is looking good!


Thanks!! I need to trim some dead leaves from the Amazon swords and the crypts. I think I am about due to place some more O+ root tabs. On a side note, I didnt photograph it but I have another huge runner from the Amazon swords. Soon it will be time for an raok. @Immortal1 do you have use for any swords?


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Thanks, but no. Just gave away 6 amazon plantlets a few weeks ago


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

Immortal1 said:


> Thanks, but no. Just gave away 6 amazon plantlets a few weeks ago


LOL that was quick. Mine dont reproduce as fast as the Vesuvius swords but this is the second runner is just a few months. I didnt realize they reproduce so well. Speaking of, do you want some Vesuvius sword? I have like half a dozen nice runners of it.


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Now that I could use some of (Vesuvius sword). Looks like it stays a lot smaller than my giant Melon sword. Seems they do ok with low or high light and cO2


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

Immortal1 said:


> Now that I could use some of (Vesuvius sword). Looks like it stays a lot smaller than my giant Melon sword. Seems they do ok with low or high light and cO2


Slow growers for sure and actually one of my favorite plants. Seem to like root tabs. Do well in low or high tech although I have never had them in high tech just what I have read. If you are going to be around next Saturday I will drop some off to you. We are going to that museum you told me about next Saturday.


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## GrampsGrunge (Jun 18, 2012)

thedood said:


> Slow growers for sure and actually one of my favorite plants. Seem to like root tabs. Do well in low or high tech although I have never had them in high tech just what I have read. If you are going to be around next Saturday I will drop some off to you. We are going to that museum you told me about next Saturday.


Well If I may add, in my case, the Vesuvius thedood sent me, are doing great. I'm in a weird sort of low-tech, high light levels 20H tank with dirted substrate and DIY CO2 injection. Which was what was needed to kick start all the plants growth in my tank. The biggest Vesuvius, (behind the hyperactive Rosey Barb..) is already sending out it own new runner. Yup good plants, easy to grow, but it does like light and nutrients.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

Vesuvius sword do well with excel also. Very nice plant but the are copious reproducers. Ive removed several runners over a foot long. Very easy to build a nice section of them.


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## Monrankim (May 28, 2016)

thedood said:


> Does this classify as a carpet yet?


Your setting the bar high for low-tech, very impressive!


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@Monrankim Thanks! Just lucky really. This setup is pretty well balanced. I need to move some plants out as the carpet is swallowing them up. I have some dead leaves I need to remove as well.


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## Williak (Jun 26, 2012)

Looks great! Nice thick healthy stems. Very impressive for 2 T8s lol


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@Williak Thanks! I work at it some and like I said I have been lucky with it as well.


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## HaeSuse (Aug 18, 2016)

Mr. Lebowski... ahem.... The Dude. 

Beautiful low-tech tank my friend. That carpet is magnificent. The whole scape looks lovely to me. Don't sell yourself short on artistic ability. I think maybe just a little added color, and some strategic hardscaping would do wonders.


You should really consider abiding. Seriously. The Dude abides.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

I had not looked in on you for some time. Looks good. 
And then the comments about good and luck? Who knows which is which? If you are good you may look lucky but it all comes down the same. 
It's all how you allow yourself to feel about what you are doing. Too many worry about what others are doing. 
You've certainly got something going for you!


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@HaeSuse Thanks for the words! Later this winter I will be moving all of my tanks downstairs to a fish room I am building and when I do this tank will incorporate some stuff I have learned and should look even better. As for the carpet I have been pretty happy with the growth. No co2 and low maintenance so I am digging it thus far for what it is. 
@PlantedRich I agree but I have learned a ton since I setup this tank and KNOW I can do better. I have put on hold doing anything new as I will be moving downstairs soon and will have a fish room. The plan is to put my 125G mounted in a wall in my living room and the backside will be in my fish room/office. The question is what the heck am I going to do for setups? Since I am building all of that from scratch I will be plumbing that room with a water source and a drain. If you check out the @Immortal1 75g build. I am going to do a similar system but big enough for at least water changes on 300G worth of tanks which is close to what I will have in there.


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Should be an interesting build @thedood !


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

Always something else needed? An active mind is a terrible thing if we don't use it. 
You mention three hundred gallon. Does that mean the amounted of reserve water needed for a change or change on that much tank? where my mind is going is that is a ton of water to keep on hand but using it straight from the lines can get tricky with cold weather. Got something in mind to store and let it come to temp or do you have a mixing valve like a faucet , etc. in mind? When I was running more tanks and only had a reserve barrel holding 50 gallon, I often had to do some tank one day and catch the rest later but I did like having a ton of water handy for anything that was helped by a quick water change. 
Both have their good/bad points so each has to fit what you have on hand. I like the reserve for handy and letting it settle to room temp but then I also would be fine with NOT having the odd looking barrel in the room. I use it to hold a ten so it is not wasted space but does look a bit odd even in a fish room. My wife tells me that's not the only odd thing we have around here! 

Point to ponder on building the drain? I find a 3/4 PVC drain works really well for me. It is just the right size to slip fit my drain tubing into and hold well so that it doesn't pop out. It flows plenty quick to not back up and run over but I do have about 18" of drop as the first section before elbows. It can make fitting the pipe in a little easier at times? 

But you will love having something once done!!! I got even more spoiled and went for a $15 remote switch to plug into the outlet and then plug the pump into. That lets me turn the reserve water pump on to fill tanks from the other room without having to go back to the fishroom to turn it on/off.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@PlantedRich I havent given it a whole lot of thought yet. I have a guy doing construction down there for me now. Were removing a wall and putting in a header to open up the kitchen and dining room space. We have all of the cabinets for the kitchen. I have other aquarium projects put on hold to get this done. We have a new grand baby and another on the way and want them to have a play room and one of my daughters is going to move her family into the apartment the wife and I are living in so the motivation is to git r done. Anyway back on topic I dont have the slightest idea yet how I am going to do this. @Immortal1 has his system underneath his tanks where here can mix water with prime prior to the change, great setup. I'm thinking of rain barrels or getting my hands on some plastic food grade barrels and using those. But I dont know yet lol. Decisions decisions.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

I really like the food grade barrels and find them really easy to find here due to the number of things they can be used to ship. When you start looking, don't forget to go outside the normal sale listings like Craiglist, etc. Some spots that I didn't think about are places like bakeries for flavors, sauces like soy sauce at restaurant supply, Soda and beer items and others that I don't know. Lots of them out there and they come pretty cheap here. 
But the best is that they are tough and sturdy as they are made to hold liquid while things like trash cans tend to bow and eventually break because they are not made to resist the push from inside like round does. 
I find I can get some extra use by laying a board across the top and then using it for a ten gallon that I keep as QT at times. Or like now, when I have fry in it!! 
We all got to do what is needed at the time and construction is one big one. 
I notice Immortal doesn't have a trap and probably doesn't need one to go to the sump. I run my water outside and found I needed one. One drain just dumps into the garden but the other dumps into a plastic barrel and without it having a water seal, bugs were coming up and into the house. I had a sudden surge of these huge beetles/ roaches that were showing up in the fishroom and it took a bit to figure why. Cutting the 3/4 pipe and adding a few els solved the problem. If the "trap" ever stops up, I will have to do some cutting.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

The food grade barrels usually have two holes. One for draining and one for venting. So I could plumb one hole with an input from my water system and then pipe the other for my tanks with a pump and a hose. For drainage I could come out of the floor with a 3/4 pvc like you mentioned. I could then pipe the water to a rain barrel outside that I could then use to water my flower gardens. Since it would be outside if I overflow it then no big deal.


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## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

picture update?
overall amazing thread, really makes a point to, that you don't need to spend 2k on a fish tank to have it look beautiful and to have it thrive.


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

Thedood....just read the whole thread. I have to say, that is very impressive growth for low tech, and the tank looks just great.

Sounds like you have a lot on your plate, as the fish room sounds pretty involved. That's dedication for sure. Hope it comes all comes out well and looking forward to seeing how things progress.


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## klibs (May 1, 2014)

nice tank! very healthy looking plants


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## SeeF1L (Sep 24, 2016)

I just joined. I am a reefer and have an empty 60g rimless with LED's. I want to do a planted tank. This is great motivation. I must say, great looking tank. Did you just use regular potting soil? I was going to go with Seachem Flourite Black but this may be the way to go. My tank is 48"x24"x12" high. Going to have to keep short plants  Great stuff...


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## Monrankim (May 28, 2016)

SeeF1L said:


> I just joined. I am a reefer and have an empty 60g rimless with LED's. I want to do a planted tank. This is great motivation. I must say, great looking tank. Did you just use regular potting soil? I was going to go with Seachem Flourite Black but this may be the way to go. My tank is 48"x24"x12" high. Going to have to keep short plants  Great stuff...


I don't mean to speak for him but he gave me my recipe that I used in both my 75 & 29 gallon low tech. He used clay rich yard dirt, top soil and natural cat litter. My recipe was a little different because I live in a different region that doesn't have clay in the soil so I added red pottery clay. As you can see it's a good mix! Good luck on your new tank!


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## Monrankim (May 28, 2016)

How is the tank doing? Any changes?

Sent from my LG-K330 using Tapatalk


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@Monrankim Hope things are going good. Ive had some health issues but I am back on the horse. Hope things are going well. Here is an update on this tank. This tank was emptied. I messed up the tank and felt horrible so I moved what I wanted to keep to a 20 and drained the tank. 

I learned a lot about planted tanks since I first set this tank up so here are some quick notes of things I found for my style of fishkeeping based on my current lifestyle. The following are just my opinions.

Dirt:
I like dirt. Dirt done right works real well. Dirt is very cheap. Unfortunately photobucket killed all of my pics so you cant see what this tank was. All low tech, lights were 48" fluorescent tubes. Looked like a jungle. Thats dirt. As you could see (if photobucket didnt change their licensing) dirt is great, however, dirt makes it very difficult to move anything. You will always be fighting little bits of it on the substrate if you do any moving around of plants at all and forget moving anything with a big root system like an Amazon Sword. If i ever want to use dirt I will try and use clay pots with dirt and sub on top. Using pots will bring its own set of problems. Because I like to move my plants around I will not be using dirt when I redo this tank this weekend. 

Osmocote: Works great in small amounts. If you have an issue with the dirt coming up the little balls and their shells end up all over the tank. This scares me as a fish may eat one. I will not be using O+ in any of my tanks going forward.

Lighting:
For the budget minded a 48" fluorescent tube with a cheap 6500k ge bulb works great. I will be using this light on another tank I have planned but I am going to go led on the 75g. I am switching mostly because I dont like the flimsy shop light fixture I have and I like the options the led lights have.

Plants:
Placement, placement, placement. I learned a lot about plant placement. I hope my next setup looks better. I learned a carpet can be a pain. I am going to figure a better way to have a carpet. I love the look but runners, runners, runners. For me and the lifestyle I have right now I need less fast growing plants as I dont have a lot of time really to trim them. I will be spending more time researching my plants. 

More to follow......


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

Here is some more on this tank. Tonight we accomplished removing the old substrate. There are some lime deposit down low on the tank. Tomorrow the tank gets a good cleaning with vinegar and then Friday we will be painting the backside of the tank. Here are the planned specs for this system:

Tank:
Standard ADA 75G 48 1/2 X 18 1/2 X 21 1/8

Filtration:
2 x Marineland C-220
We will utilize course sponge pre-filters These are the ATI Filter Max III. These things are great and I cannot recommend them enough.
We will be using a sponge, quilt batting, and a combo of pumice and Seachem Matrix. We will also have a mesh bag of purigen in each filter.

Hardscape:
I havent decided yet. I have a really nice branch that would make an excellent moss tree. I tried this before and the dang thing grew huge with fronds breaking off and going everywhere when I trimmed. I also have some really nice rocks. I will make an inventory Saturday and see what I have. If none of it suits my fancy then I will get something different.

Substrate:
5 x Seachem Fluorite Dark. My goal is at least 2 inches all over. If I need more I may buy and mix some red fluorite in as well. 

Lighting:
2 x CurrentUSA Satellite Freshwater LED Plus. Thanks to @Immortal1 for pointing me in the direction I needed to go. I think I will be happy with this setup.

Plants:
Crinum calamistratum I love this plant. I am going to have one and am going to add maybe two or three more of these. 
Vesuvius sword. I love this plant. Copious reproducer as well.
A Melon or amazon sword. 
I have some anubius and anubius nana.
I have some java fern
I have a few others as well and not sure what else I will add to this setup

Fish
Lambchop rasboras. I love thise fish. They will hang out in the current and let it fling them across the tank. And its like a conga line, they all take turns. I eill buy at least 10 more.
Cherckerboard barbs. I am buying 5 more.
Otocinclus
Cory cats. I have some I need to id so I can get them some more buddies.

Inverts:
Nerite snail
MTS
Since I will have a moss tree I am going to put some cherry red shrimp in here. I have some large ones that are in with my fish now so those will go as well.


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## ChrisX (May 28, 2017)

thedood said:


> @Monrankim Hope things are going good. Ive had some health issues but I am back on the horse. Hope things are going well. Here is an update on this tank. This tank was emptied. I messed up the tank and felt horrible so I moved what I wanted to keep to a 20 and drained the tank.
> 
> I learned a lot about planted tanks since I first set this tank up so here are some quick notes of things I found for my style of fishkeeping based on my current lifestyle. The following are just my opinions.
> 
> ...


I tried dirt in shallow pots under substrate. Too restr8ctive...but it lets you move big plants like swords.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

ChrisX said:


> I tried dirt in shallow pots under substrate. Too restr8ctive...but it lets you move big plants like swords.


I figured as much. It would be my luck I would accidentally drop one in the tank and it would go upside down, spill and I would still have a mess.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

Today I had a set back. The lfs I use ordered the fluorite but only 2 bags of it showed up. So now I am off to seachem to see where I can score some. The lfs asked me if I wanted eco complete to mix with it and I dont think I will.


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## slipfinger (Jun 8, 2016)

Subbed.

Look forward to following the progress..


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

We will be progressing with something every day. My wife has been cleaning the tank and I have one of the filters ready. Tomorrow I will get the substrate and get everything ready. Saturday I will paint the back of the tank and get the hardscape components cleaned and ready to go. If the paint dries quickly I will be assembling late Saturday and finish it on Sunday.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

I went and picked up the fluorite this evening. I probably screwed up. I am going to mix the dark and the black since I could only get a few of each. Will I hate it? Wont matter because I will end up carpeting it anyway and it will never be seen.


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Definitely one way of looking at it - will be covered with plants, lol. I suspect mixing the 2 together will not look that bad.


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

Ive got a mix of black sand, flourite dark and black, and something else... maybe eco complete. Now that the plants and stuff are filling in I like the different sizes and textures. Looks natural. Are you going to inject CO2?? I never had a ton of luck with low tech until I used soil and faced the same issues as you. I'm very pleased with the addition of CO2 and every tank will now be getting pressurized CO2. 
I'm in for pics


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@Immortal1 I agree with you, I think it will look pretty good. The thing about this is its a one shot deal. If it looks bad you cant undo it and roll it back.
@The Dude1 Thanks for commenting. I will leave this low tech for now. I work 9 hour days with a 2 hour commute, 1 hour each way. I don't really have time to devote to a tank with co2. Plus I found out Friday I have to have surgery on my hand, this will be my third surgery in like 9 months or so. This year has been brutal. Anyway I'm not going to have use of my right hand for about 2 months and I don't wont to saddle my wife with trimming crazy co2 growth. As for pics I will get some here pretty quick. I had planned to be filling this thing tonight but other things that have been neglected had to be done.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

I have thought about my filter configuration. As mentioned above this setup will have 2 Marineland C-220 filters. These canisters have four trays.

Filter one:
Tray one: coarse sponge
Tray two and three: floss (low loft quilt batting)
Tray four: pumice/Seachem Matrix mix

Filter two:
Tray one: coarse sponge
Tray two: floss (low loft quilt batting)
Tray three: pumice/Seachem Matrix mix
Tray four: Seachem Purigen

The reason I am setting up this way is because I run pre-filters I can get two months out of a canister before cleaning, Purigen however will not make it two months. By only putting Purigen in 1 filter I will reduce the amount of canister removal and cleaning I will have to do.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

The back of the tank has a coat of paint. It looks like it will take one more. I was dismayed to see the paint I have is semi gloss. I got to thinking about it and that may not be so bad. If there is a lot of fairly clear reflection on the back of the tank then the reflection of the plants and hardscape may make the tank look deeper than it actually is. I dont know we will see in a few days. According to tracking the lights are on the truck for delivery and I should have them today!!.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

I have the tank filled, most of my fish moved, and some of the plants. The lights are on the tank and look good. Pics tomorrow.


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Look forward to some pics - hopefully the lights are exactly what you expected.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@Immortal1 I love the lights. They use the same remote so I had to get them synced. One question though, How to I turn the intensity of the whole light down? I think its a little bright and will be producing algae soon.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

The tank is setup and were off to the races.
Fauna:
Cories - salt n pepper and pepper
Checkerboard barbs
Lambchop rasbora
Couple of molly stragglers

Here is the flora list:
Echinodorus amazonicus
Echinodorus rubin
java fern
Anubias, 3 kinds
Crypt wendti, green and a red
Vesuvius sword 
Crinum calamistratum x 3 have 1 purchased 2 more
Fissidens fontanus coming for moss tree


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Looks like a good start. Kinda amazing how sparse a big tank can look when starting out / back up. Mine was pretty much the same. Then a month or 2 later its a jungle


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

I agree. Wont take long. I think it will look ok. I am going to add more wood and some fissidens. I hope it isnt to much.


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

Good choice on the plants. I think it will look great once you get some plant mass in there. Are you going to dose metricide? It would help with plant growth and help keep algae in check. Is the Rubin Sword a "red rubin"? I want a red sword plant in my lower 75. It doesn't have CO2 like the top one yet and it's a pain in comparison... slow growth, algae, and I'm constantly having to wipe the diatoms off of the leaves.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@The Dude1 Thanks. Right rear corner is the Rubin, and it is red rubin. I may dose metri but am going to see how it goes for now. I still have a partial bottle left.

Bump: @Immortal1 I decided to run 2 timers. Front light on 4 hours, rear light on for 4 hours.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

I have added some fissidens glued to a couple of pretty granite. I received the Crinum calamistratum as well and put it in the tank. I pulled one of the lights. The anubias were taking a beating. I'm going to see how things go with one for now.


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