# 100 Gallon Planted Display Tank



## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Does anyone know why the Cory Cats constantly feel the need to swim around full speed? They never settle down.


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## rustbucket (Oct 15, 2011)

Lovely, I think you'll really enjoy small fish. I like the hardscape as well, reminds me of a beach. 

Not sure why the corys do that, perhaps their just not settled in yet. If all your levels are fine I wouldn't worry. When first got my corydora they swam up and down in the corner, but they are very chill now that they are settled in and I have a much bigger school then I use to. I'm sure they'll calm down.


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Thank you! So far I am very much enjoying the small fish.
I splurged today and couldn't be happier. My local Petco takes better care of their fish than most LFS, and today I went there for an Albino Bristlenose Pleco, and came home with:
2 Albino Bristlenose Plecos
9 Gold Barbs
8 Roseline Sharks
2 Narrow Leaf Java Ferns

The guy there told me that they were having a 50% off sale for live fish and aquarium plants, so I took advantage of it. I thought there was only 1 ABP left, but said I'd take both when two fell off the rock into the net.
The Gold Barbs I had been planning on buying, but not today. Couldn't pass up the great deal so I got them today.
The Roseline Sharks...well, I have admired them for years. However, at $10 each I could never justify buying them as it would be so expensive. Bring the price down to about $4.75 each though, and it is much more affordable. I bought every one they had, 8 in total but he only charged me for 7 since one of them is a runt. Albeit healthy, but still a runt. I also got 4 Ghost Shrimp from my LFS and the owner didn't even charge me. It's just been a fantastic day in the world of fishkeeping, for me at least!

The Gold Barbs and Roseline Sharks are schooling together, very interesting to watch but I assume the behavior will stop once they've settled in. I plan on buying more Gold Barbs once they have more in stock. The Gold Barbs are so pretty and add the perfect touch of bright color to the tank. 

Pictures of the new inhabitants will come as soon as I run them through editing 

Thanks for your input on the Cories - hopefully they'll settle down soon!


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Roseline Sharks



































Gold Barbs


















Roseline Sharks & Gold Barbs schooling together










The Albino Bristlenose Pleco didn't want it's picture taken.










My Dwarf Gourami, who I wasn't able to get a picture of until today










And two of the Neons










Updated video of tank with new fish & I also added the Narrow Leaf Java Ferns to the driftwood on the right.​


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

Nice tank and your photography skills are off the chart!
Love the gourami shot!


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Thank you very much! I still have a lot to learn when it comes to macro photography but I'm getting there


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

New additions: 1 large Bamboo Shrimp, a second Dwarf Gourami(this one is a Flame Dwarf Gourami - with this large of a tank my two males should be just fine together), 4 Hifin Blue Coral Variatus, 3 Hifin Pineapple Mickey Mouse Platy
I have been needing some fish that stay in the top level of the tank, but none of the common ones really appealed to me. However, I noticed that the Variatus and Platies swim at all levels but are often at the top, so I figured I'd give a few of those a try and hopefully they'll stick to the top. If not, I'll figure something else out for top-dwelling fish.

I wonder if my cories were just being hyper because they were really hungry. I imagine they never got fed well at the pet store as anything else would have eaten their food first. Now that they've had a few good sized meals they've calmed down a LOT, at the moment they're all just hanging out at the bottom of the tank.

I'm trying to stock the tank as quickly as possible so that I don't lose the beneficial bacteria I had from the fish in here before. I had a heavy stock load with the Eartheaters, so I think it's best to introduce all the new fish quickly. I'm not quarantining fish because EVERY time I quarantine, I lose a good number of the fish. Introduce them directly to the main tank and I never lose even one. Introducing them all quickly means if there IS a disease outbreak it will only be one time, and the entire tank can be treated before it goes planted next week. So far though, all fish are healthy with no signs of problems. Fingers crossed that it stays that way! I think I'm about done adding fish, though I know I'm going to add more Gold Barbs once they're restocked. I would really like to add some small schools(10-15) of Rummynose Tetras and Cherry Barbs, but I'm not sure if this would be too much for the tank. Remember it's running a mature FX5(with an FX6 motor)
Current stock in the 100 gallon:
About 35 Neon Tetras
9 Gold Barbs
9 Emerald Green Cories
8 Roesline Sharks
6 Platies
4 Variatus
2 Dwarf Gouramis
1 Odessa Barb
1 Bamboo Shrimp

What do you guys think, would the addition of Cherry Barbs and/or Rummynose Tetras be too much? I've never stocked with small fish before so I have no idea.


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## anfield (Dec 1, 2013)

Those gold barbs are schooling nicely. Need to look into thsoe


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

They do seem to school pretty well. I'm not sure if they'll spread out more or not when they're more settled in, but either way I like them a lot!


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

I have not yet finished editing all the pictures of the new fish yet, however I just couldn't wait to share this one. I am so in love with this picture I took of one of the new Platies!


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## Oto Guy (Jan 3, 2014)

The roseline sharks look really cool.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Adri. said:


> I have not yet finished editing all the pictures of the new fish yet, however I just couldn't wait to share this one. I am so in love with this picture I took of one of the new Platies!


That's a good one, what's the exif?


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

houseofcards said:


> That's a good one, what's the exif?


ISO 3200, f/4, 1/80, taken with Tokina 100mm



Oto Guy said:


> The roseline sharks look really cool.


They are. I absolutely love them, I've admired them for years and never thought I'd be able to afford them. I'm not at all disappointed


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## adive (Oct 30, 2013)

Anyone looking for schooling/shoaling (sorry I havent tried to understand the diff b/w those 2  ), I would recommend rummy nose tetras hands down. I see no harm in adding 7-8.


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## LB79 (Nov 18, 2011)

Normally I'm a fan of Jungle-like tanks, but the openness of this one is awesome. Great species choices, too.


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## Crazy4discus (Jan 30, 2014)

Nice setup and fishes!


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## mopani (Oct 29, 2013)

lord all those odd schools of fish, lol gonna be chaotic bliss, I am a fan of only 1-2x large schools. lol but those do look nice


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## ForensicFish (May 19, 2013)

You should buy a ton of Vals and plant them in the back. They are undemanding and would look awesome in your huge tank. They would also provide your fish with an area of refuge.


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

I hope to get some as soon as they're back in stock, then  Though I'll probably add more than 7 or 8 as I prefer larger schools. The fish are always happier that way.


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Wow, how did I miss all these comments?!



mopani said:


> lord all those odd schools of fish, lol gonna be chaotic bliss, I am a fan of only 1-2x large schools. lol but those do look nice


I love the look of a very varied tank. Differences in taste, I guess 



ForensicFish said:


> You should buy a ton of Vals and plant them in the back. They are undemanding and would look awesome in your huge tank. They would also provide your fish with an area of refuge.


I plan on it! I have some coming in the mail this week and am probably going to order more, too.



Crazy4discus said:


> Nice setup and fishes!


Thank you!



LB79 said:


> Normally I'm a fan of Jungle-like tanks, but the openness of this one is awesome. Great species choices, too.


Thank you. I'm planning on adding a lot more plants though, however I think I will leave the middle section fairly open as that's where the fish like to hang out.


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

New fish pictures! I also added some livebearers to add some movement to the top of the tank. I don't like livebearers too much however these differently colored Platies, Swordtails and Variatus really appeal to me for some reason!

The pretty Dwarf Gourami. He's hard to get pictures of as he never wants to stop moving









A pretty Gold Barb









A Neon Tetra. VERY difficult fish to get pictures of.









And the livebearers...
Some Hifin Blue Coral Variatus - I have one male and three females

























Hifin Pineapple Mickey Mouse Platy









New Swordtails, one male and two females...anybody know what this color variation is called?


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Okay, so I'd like some advice!

I'm getting my first shipment of plants soon, it was just shipped today. Here's what's included: 50 sagittaria sublata , 25 ludwigia repens, 25 vallisneria and 5 parrot feather plants
I will probably put the parrot feathers in my 20g RCS tank. The Dwarf Sag, I know exactly where that's going(in front of and around the rocks that are by the large Anubias Nana)....However I'm not sure where I want to put my Vals and Ludwigia. Which would be better for covering up the filter intake/output, Vals or Wisteria(also getting Wisteria this week)? Any suggestions for the placement of these?
Remember I'll be planting my plants in clusters, not spread out. Dutch-inspired, I guess you could say.  All the same plants types will be kept together in a group.

Here is the tank currently.


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## rustbucket (Oct 15, 2011)

For being hard fish to photograph, you make it look pretty easy 

I think I would like the wisteria on the back right hand side. 
I find val is better at not being sucked in by the filter and when it blows around looks a little better in the breeze. So I would probably use it to cover the filter.

You sag will grow where ever it pleases  Vals and sag both were removed from my tank because of their tendency to run wild and free. Awesome plants though.

I may not be good at giving advice, I tend to grow things out then move, move, move till I get something I like, never much for planning ahead.


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## ctaylor3737 (Nov 14, 2013)

Mine are crazy that is why I love them I beleive. I only have one that is not as active as the others all my others swim back and forth constantly even at night when the light is off you can see them going.


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

rustbucket said:


> For being hard fish to photograph, you make it look pretty easy
> 
> I think I would like the wisteria on the back right hand side.
> I find val is better at not being sucked in by the filter and when it blows around looks a little better in the breeze. So I would probably use it to cover the filter.
> ...


Thanks, Vals to cover the filter tubes it is, then! 25 of them should make a nice group to start planting that area with, though I may order some more. I'll have to see how it looks once they're in!
I have no problem pulling and replacing stray Vals and Sags, if they do grow like crazy then I'll take it as a sign that the tank is doing well!
I am also not much for planning. Figuring out which plant will go where in my head is about the extent of my planning, and usually I do it as I'm planting! But with a shipment of plants coming I have spare time and my brain kind of forces me to think about what's going to go where.


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

ctaylor3737 said:


> Mine are crazy that is why I love them I beleive. I only have one that is not as active as the others all my others swim back and forth constantly even at night when the light is off you can see them going.


I assume you're referring to Cories? Mine have finally settled down, thank goodness! I like them much better when they're not distracting from everything else in the tank.


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## pewpewkittah (Jan 14, 2014)

I LOVE the scape! Very elegant and simple. 

+1 for the Val in the left corner in front of the filter intake. It will grow and extend over the logs and look really cool! This stuff is a pain in the first couple weeks after planting though.. A lot of melting and debris. 

Can't wait to see the development!


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

pewpewkittah said:


> I LOVE the scape! Very elegant and simple.
> 
> +1 for the Val in the left corner in front of the filter intake. It will grow and extend over the logs and look really cool! This stuff is a pain in the first couple weeks after planting though.. A lot of melting and debris.
> 
> Can't wait to see the development!


Thank you very much!
I've never had a plant melt on me before, not even crypts...if the Vals melt, how do I deal with it?


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## rustbucket (Oct 15, 2011)

Just clean up the melted bits and leave the plant, it will take care of itself.


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## ctaylor3737 (Nov 14, 2013)

Adri. said:


> I assume you're referring to Cories? Mine have finally settled down, thank goodness! I like them much better when they're not distracting from everything else in the tank.


Yea cories are very hyper fish. Mine have their routine though and are calm. I have some in my discus tank, they are very plump from the BH lol

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk


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## gt turbo (Sep 13, 2012)

I'd like to suggest that you spread the Val out just a little. When Val starts to enjoy your tank it spreads like wild fire but you fish will love it. 

In terms of a planting guide, you could plant your Val at the back of the tank a bit clustered around the filter intake and let it spread all along the back. The Ludwigia wont spread as it's a stem plant. I'd say split the Ludwigia up and plant it around you hardscape in 4 clumps. The dwarf sag can all be planted in the center by your open swimming area.

My suggestion at a layout.


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## annyann (Aug 31, 2013)

roud:Awesome tank and fish! Looking forward to seeing how your scape will look with your new plants in!!:biggrin:


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

ctaylor3737 said:


> Yea cories are very hyper fish. Mine have their routine though and are calm. I have some in my discus tank, they are very plump from the BH lol
> 
> Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk


BH?



gt turbo said:


> I'd like to suggest that you spread the Val out just a little. When Val starts to enjoy your tank it spreads like wild fire but you fish will love it.
> 
> In terms of a planting guide, you could plant your Val at the back of the tank a bit clustered around the filter intake and let it spread all along the back. The Ludwigia wont spread as it's a stem plant. I'd say split the Ludwigia up and plant it around you hardscape in 4 clumps. The dwarf sag can all be planted in the center by your open swimming area.
> 
> My suggestion at a layout.


Thanks for the advice! I'll keep it in mind


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

rustbucket said:


> Just clean up the melted bits and leave the plant, it will take care of itself.


Thanks, I'll do that! 



annyann said:


> roud:Awesome tank and fish! Looking forward to seeing how your scape will look with your new plants in!!:biggrin:


Thank you very much! I'm really excited to get in my plants, two shipments are on their way. The latest they will be here is Friday, so only a couple more days...Fingers crossed that the first one gets here tomorrow. We'll see!


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

I'm worried my Cories aren't getting enough to eat. I use an automatic feeder and when I watch the tank around feeding time I see that all the other fish eat the food before it hits the bottom of the tank where the Cories feed. Any suggestions?


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## ctaylor3737 (Nov 14, 2013)

Beef heart. Cories will get enough from the fallout of the feeder. They clean up every speck lol. Be surprised how little fish can live on. 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Ah, gotcha!
Well, I do like to give them treats of frozen bloodworms every few days, and they always get some of those, so I guess they should be fine.  If they start looking a little thin I'll feed bloodworms more often.


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## izabella87 (Apr 21, 2012)

what a nice tank!


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## rustbucket (Oct 15, 2011)

new life spectrum h20 stable sinking wafers, they go straight to the bottom and my cories love them, most of the other fish love them too though.Your live bearers will probably give the cories a pretty good fight so adding them at night helps out a lot.

Also if you're sure all the food gets eaten before it hits bottom, you may have to start feeding more, unfortunately I have heard of cories starving before


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

I would get those plant in there quickly. I'm not familiar with the light, but lots of fish, no co2, almost no plants creates a more challenging situation to keep it pristine.


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

houseofcards said:


> I would get those plant in there quickly. I'm not familiar with the light, but lots of fish, no co2, almost no plants creates a more challenging situation to keep it pristine.


No worries, I'm aware of the problem! But thank you! The plants are going in the second they arrive. The first shipment MIGHT be here today - if not today, then tomorrow. I know for sure that one or both will be here by tomorrow. There's no algae in the tank(yet) though I'm hoping I get a small bit of it on the rocks and driftwood. My LFS has a bunch of Oto's so I'm prepared to get a bunch of them if need be, to control algae. Though they would need to be QT'd first so I would take the 3 from my shrimp tank and put them in the 100 until the QT was over for all the new ones.



rustbucket said:


> new life spectrum h20 stable sinking wafers, they go straight to the bottom and my cories love them, most of the other fish love them too though.Your live bearers will probably give the cories a pretty good fight so adding them at night helps out a lot.
> 
> Also if you're sure all the food gets eaten before it hits bottom, you may have to start feeding more, unfortunately I have heard of cories starving before


Yes, I've watched them eat and maybe one or two of the Cories will get lucky and snag a single flake. I'll check out the NLS sinking wafers, thank you!



izabella87 said:


> what a nice tank!


Thank you!


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

USPS says that my package that I have tracking for left Sacramento today, and it only takes 3 hours to get from Sac to my area. So when it says it's at the local USPS facility I'm going to call and ask if I can come pick it up today instead of having it delivered tomorrow!


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Update for today...I feel better knowing the Cories are getting food, so I picked up some NLS 1mm sinking pellets at the store. Not the exact kind that was recommended to me, but hey, they work!










When I was at Petsmart today I saw that they had a small package of Cryptocryne Wendtii "Green" for 50% off, it looked like it was dying inside the package but once I got it out it didn't look half bad. It turns out that it was a BUNCH of little baby Crypt's all put together in three big clumps. I spent about 20 minutes carefully separating them all and ended up with around 30 plants! I just put them all in the tank, hopefully they'll bounce back nicely & won't melt. We'll see! For 4 bucks I can't complain.


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Just got my first shipment of plants, and I planted the Ludwigia Repens first...and now the Gold Barbs are swarming around it and nipping at it. They haven't done any damage....yet?


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## rustbucket (Oct 15, 2011)

Those pellets should work well. I like the wafers because they are bigger and no one fish can swallow it before the cories get it, but the smaller pellets sink quite fast, so should make it the bottom.

I keep cherry barbs, but have never had them bother the plants. Whenever I add new plants though the fish always swarm, not sure what they are doing, eating something, but they never hurt anything so I guess they are cleaning.


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

rustbucket said:


> Those pellets should work well. I like the wafers because they are bigger and no one fish can swallow it before the cories get it, but the smaller pellets sink quite fast, so should make it the bottom.
> 
> I keep cherry barbs, but have never had them bother the plants. Whenever I add new plants though the fish always swarm, not sure what they are doing, eating something, but they never hurt anything so I guess they are cleaning.


Yep, I tested them out twice and both times the cories were able to get a good amount of food. Yay!

My Cherry Barbs don't seem at all interested in the new plants, just the Gold Barbs. They kept nipping the new plants I put in. Not sure if they're still doing it but I hope not. Especially because I can't catch them to get them out, I tried! If they don't stop then I'm going to have to figure out a way to get them out because they're too smart & know how to avoid the net in a big tank.(swim to the other side!)

I spent several hours sorting and planting the shipment of plants that I got today. I really like the layout, I think it looks good. Still needs more plants, of course, but so far so good! I will post pictures and a video later this evening.


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Shipment arrived









Different plants...Correct me if I'm wrong on this first one, but this is Ludwigia Repens(NOT Rotala Indica), correct?









Ludwigia sp. "Red"









Myrio Filigree









A current shot of the tank:









And a video, which for some reason won't embed.
http://youtu.be/d0rqFWBkhD0


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

If that's a solid black background (can't tell from pic), you could also paint the intake/outake with Krylon Fusion. I did that to my eheim intake/outake on a black background and you don't even see them. The plants will eventually help, but do both and they will disappear.


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## rustbucket (Oct 15, 2011)

I'm no expert at id'ing plants, but that does look a bit like ludwigia.

Don't worry about the amount of plants, with a little patience, you will have a great looking tank. It already looks very nice.


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## gt turbo (Sep 13, 2012)

Sorry I forgot to mention the Gold Barbs when looking at your stocking list. They do love to eat plants. Love to. At least this was my experience with them.

So ..... Go out and buy a second net so you can chase with one net into the other, or not say bye to most of your plants and hello to some fat and very healthy gold barbs.

And you got way more species of plants than you mentioned to us before. Have fun with the planting. Stick to the concept that has kinda developed with the creation of two islands. It looks nice.


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## annyann (Aug 31, 2013)

I really like the way you laid out the plants, I think it will look great when they grow in!


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Thanks guys  I got in the second shipment today which consisted of Jungle Vals, Dwarf Sag, and more Ludwigia Repens. The Dwarf Sag and Jungle Val have been placed, but I'm not sure where I want to put the Ludwigia. I guess I could put it in that empty spot in the middle, which does need to be filled with something, but then it's not following the rules of thirds very well. (From left to right, hard to see the first bunch behind the driftwood, is Ludwigia Repens, Rotala Indica, Myrio Filigree, Ludwigia sp "Red", Ludwigia Repens

To follow the rule of thirds well(I'm a big fan of this rule) I need Ludwigia Repens, Rotala Inidica, DIFFERENT PLANT, Myrio, Ludwigia sp "Red", and Repens again. So I'm not sure 1. what I want to put in that empty spot in the very middle, and 2. what I want to do with the 30 or so stems of Ludwigia that I have just sitting in a tupperware full of tank water.


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

houseofcards said:


> If that's a solid black background (can't tell from pic), you could also paint the intake/outake with Krylon Fusion. I did that to my eheim intake/outake on a black background and you don't even see them. The plants will eventually help, but do both and they will disappear.


Thanks, I'll look into that!



gt turbo said:


> Sorry I forgot to mention the Gold Barbs when looking at your stocking list. They do love to eat plants. Love to. At least this was my experience with them.
> 
> So ..... Go out and buy a second net so you can chase with one net into the other, or not say bye to most of your plants and hello to some fat and very healthy gold barbs.
> 
> And you got way more species of plants than you mentioned to us before. Have fun with the planting. Stick to the concept that has kinda developed with the creation of two islands. It looks nice.


So far they have stopped messing with the plants...hopefully they won't start messing with them again. &Yes, besides planting along the very back, I plan on leaving the center 1/3 open and planting just the two sides.


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## gt turbo (Sep 13, 2012)

Don't plant all along the back only around the driftwood piles, that way it looks like two islands in a stream or lake.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## PeterN1986 (Jun 15, 2011)

Wonderful macro shots, and your tank looked great even without plants, but once the plants fill it, it will look that much better!


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

gt turbo said:


> Don't plant all along the back only around the driftwood piles, that way it looks like two islands in a stream or lake.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I want to have a row of plants along the back wall of the tank, but it will still be mostly planted around the driftwood. I'm just not sure what plant I want to put in that empty space in the middle of the row along the back.



PeterN1986 said:


> Wonderful macro shots, and your tank looked great even without plants, but once the plants fill it, it will look that much better!


Thank you very much!


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## gt turbo (Sep 13, 2012)

Ok, try something that has small leaves and that you can keep low to have a "V" and create depth. I think I'm finished now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

gt turbo said:


> Ok, try something that has small leaves and that you can keep low to have a "V" and create depth. I think I'm finished now.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thank you, that's a good suggestion  I think that's what I'll do.


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

The second shipment of plants arrived yesterday;


















Jungle Val









Dwarf Sag









And the plants that were put in the day before;
Ludwigia Repens









Rotala Indica









Myrio Filigree and Ludwigia sp. "Red"









The field of little baby Cryptocoryne Wendtii "Green"s









A current shot of the tank.









You can't see the Val's as they're not quite big enough to show over the top of the driftwood/Anubias yet. Part of my weekly maintenance for this tank will be pulling the Val's out of the intake of the Fluval FX5, they're just at the right size to be sucked into the intake lol.
I LOVE the tank with the addition of the Dwarf Sag, I think it looks great and the fish love it, too. I am still not sure if I want to put the Ludwigia Repens in the empty spot. I might simply because I can't afford another plant for that spot right now(chronically ill student, right now I have $10 to my name!)...but then again I don't want to 'settle' just because I can't afford a better plant for the spot right now. Oh decisions, decisions...


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Gold Barbs seem to have decided to leave the plants alone. Good choice on their part


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Starting to get a small amount of algae on the tank walls.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Adri. said:


> Starting to get a small amount of algae on the tank walls.


Not surprised.


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

houseofcards said:


> Not surprised.


Me either. Hopefully the Oto's will take care of it. I only have 3 but I plan on getting more.

How many ML would I need to dose of Flourish Excel & how often to help with algae?


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

Adri,

That's looking good! Since you've got so much space in the tank it may be worth considering spacing the plants out more; both the groups themselves and the individual plants. That will help increase flow around the plants and also give you space to replant trimmings when the time comes. I've found that planting too many stems closely together in the beginning hampers growth and can cause issues with the lower parts of the stems dying. The more light contact with enriched water each individual plant can get the better your chances of avoiding issues at the start. 


Regards,
Phil


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## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

Roseline sharks! Yay!

I just acquired some of these for the first time and have them in my new discus tank. 

Mine are juvies as well. I can't wait for them to grow; I think they're absolutely beautiful.


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## johnpfaff (Oct 18, 2013)

Ya paint the filter tubes, don't paint the suction cups, the paint will not dry. Please do not ask me how I know this.


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Phil Edwards said:


> Adri,
> 
> That's looking good! Since you've got so much space in the tank it may be worth considering spacing the plants out more; both the groups themselves and the individual plants. That will help increase flow around the plants and also give you space to replant trimmings when the time comes. I've found that planting too many stems closely together in the beginning hampers growth and can cause issues with the lower parts of the stems dying. The more light contact with enriched water each individual plant can get the better your chances of avoiding issues at the start.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Phil! I spaced out the stems a bit, though you can't really tell because I've been replanting trimmings!



Saverio said:


> Roseline sharks! Yay!
> 
> I just acquired some of these for the first time and have them in my new discus tank.
> 
> Mine are juvies as well. I can't wait for them to grow; I think they're absolutely beautiful.


Do you just love them? I think they're so great, I can't wait for them to reach their full size.



johnpfaff said:


> Ya paint the filter tubes, don't paint the suction cups, the paint will not dry. Please do not ask me how I know this.


When I can afford it and have the time, I will paint the filter tubes. I also have a little touchup to do on the back of the tank. I used to run an AC110 and it peeled off a bit of the paint on the back of the tank.


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Lost a Roseline today - I found her stuck to the back of the FX5 intake. Not sure if she was sick and just got sucked up, wasn't strong enough to swim away...or if she was healthy but just got too close and got stuck. Poor thing  I didn't find her in time to save her.

The tank is coming along nicely, there's been some growth and I've been trimming and replanting the stems. Pictures will come when I'm done editing.


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Before:


After:


Before:


After:



And here's some more pictures of some of the fish...you'll have to excuse the yucky water, I had just done a water change so everything was stirred up. Not to mention I'd just fed them, and my Dwarf Gourami thinks it's funny to pulverize food in his mouth then spit it out.


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Nice tank, looking forward to watching it fill in. I love that High Fin Pineapple Platy. Great journal and photos


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

burr740 said:


> Nice tank, looking forward to watching it fill in. I love that High Fin Pineapple Platy. Great journal and photos


Thank you! I'm so in love with this tank, it's exciting watching everything grow. Almost every time someone walks into my house, the first thing they do is stop and look at my tank. I love it.


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## Farm Fish (Feb 7, 2014)

Adri,
That's a beautiful tank and awesome photos! Nice work!
I'm just wondering how your ghost shrimp are doing. Have your fish eaten any of them yet? I'm hoping to stock my new tank with fish and shrimp soon and want to know which fish to avoid...


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## Crazy4discus (Jan 30, 2014)

Very nice pictures!!


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Farm Fish said:


> Adri,
> That's a beautiful tank and awesome photos! Nice work!
> I'm just wondering how your ghost shrimp are doing. Have your fish eaten any of them yet? I'm hoping to stock my new tank with fish and shrimp soon and want to know which fish to avoid...


Thank you! The Ghost Shrimp have disappeared, but I never saw the fish going after them unless they were dead. I'm not sure why they all died, everything else in the tank is fine. Maybe just bad stock.



Crazy4discus said:


> Very nice pictures!!


Thank you very much!


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## Seadon (Mar 24, 2014)

Nice scape! I like how you haven't over planted it, you don't see too many people that know the beauty of moderation


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## Seadon (Mar 24, 2014)

Adri. said:


> Thank you! The Ghost Shrimp have disappeared, but I never saw the fish going after them unless they were dead. I'm not sure why they all died, everything else in the tank is fine. Maybe just bad stock.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



In my experience with ghost shrimp and fish is that they might seem like they're leaving them alone but eventually they will get bored and hungry and the shrimp let their guard down, and it's just to easy of a meal to turn down


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Seadon said:


> Nice scape! I like how you haven't over planted it, you don't see too many people that know the beauty of moderation
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thank you!




Seadon said:


> In my experience with ghost shrimp and fish is that they might seem like they're leaving them alone but eventually they will get bored and hungry and the shrimp let their guard down, and it's just to easy of a meal to turn down
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


This is a very good point, that may have been what happened!


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## Seadon (Mar 24, 2014)

No problem!..and as for the shrimp, just when I think my fish have finally forgotten they exist and they will last, I wake up to find none anywhere, but my fish are a bit on the ravenous side


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

The Anubias Nana is blooming so I am assuming it's happy!
Lost a Gold Barb today, found it stuck to the intake of the FX5. The other Gold Barbs were swarming around it but had no problem not getting sucked up by the filter, so it must have died and then got stuck to the intake.


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## Seadon (Mar 24, 2014)

Adri. said:


> The Anubias Nana is blooming so I am assuming it's happy!
> Lost a Gold Barb today, found it stuck to the intake of the FX5. The other Gold Barbs were swarming around it but had no problem not getting sucked up by the filter, so it must have died and then got stuck to the intake.



I've had that happen before, they are usually at least quite weak and sickly when they get sucked on to the intake :/


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## Crazy4discus (Jan 30, 2014)

Nice assortment of fish. And very clear pics!


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## FishStix (Sep 19, 2013)

Looking good, how tall is that tank?


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Crazy4discus said:


> Nice assortment of fish. And very clear pics!


Thank you!


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

FishStix said:


> Looking good, how tall is that tank?


If I remember right it's 23" or 24", but I could be wrong.


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## minority (Nov 18, 2013)

How is your tank coming along? Time for an update (with photos)? 


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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

Rotala Indica












You can't see the Val's as they're not quite big enough to show over the top of the driftwood/Anubias yet. Part of my weekly maintenance for this tank will be pulling the Val's out of the intake of the Fluval FX5, they're just at the right size to be sucked into the intake lol.
I LOVE the tank with the addition of the Dwarf Sag, I think it looks great and the fish love it, too. I am still not sure if I want to put the Ludwigia Repens in the empty spot. I might simply because I can't afford another plant for that spot right now(chronically ill student, right now I have $10 to my name!)...but then again I don't want to 'settle' just because I can't afford a better plant for the spot right now. Oh decisions, decisions...[/QUOTE]


Rotala indica may be the emersed growth form. I have had and have seen pictures of it in/on Google of the adult submerge growth plant and if you aren't looking closly at it, you might mistake it for anacharis if not for the pink top. Long even width leaves about 5/8 inch long each with the full width of the plant being from 7/8" to 1.125". The stem looks different from the anacharis in color/thickness though.


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Well, it's been a long time since I've posted here. I've kind of let the tank go. Everything is still alive, but I haven't done any trimming in a loonnnggg time. The Rotala Indica has reached the top of the tank. Today I'm going to do some work on the tank and post before/after pictures. 
The Vals are not growing and I don't know why. Any ideas? Everything else is slowly but surely growing...everything except the Vals.


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Editing pictures now...


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Before & After


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## Pandanke (Jun 13, 2014)

Woooow! That Rotala was huge! I need to get some of it, love that color. Did the Vals not ever really take off?


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Nope, they didn't. I'm not sure why...any ideas?


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## KevinEdgar (Jun 5, 2014)

I'm jealous of your ability to take such non-grainy photos at 3200 iso. I really need to upgrade my gear. I just don't shoot nearly as often any more. 

Tank is beautiful!


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

Thank you! I started with a D50 so I understand the frustration. Anything above 400 ISO had to be discarded as it was too grainy. I have the D600 now and I absolutely LOVE it!!


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## 180g (May 20, 2014)

I know absolutely nothing about photography so every thing you guys are saying sounds like gibberish to me. please explain what ISO is?


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

ISO is the camera's sensitivity to light. 
Read here: http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Learn-And-Explore/Article/g9mqnyb1/understanding-iso-sensitivity.html


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## Adri. (Sep 6, 2012)

All my Oto's are dead. I have had absolutely horrible luck with Oto's. They always, ALWAYS die on me. Doesn't matter where I get them from or what tank I put them in(even a tank COVERED in the brown/green algae they love) they still die. I don't understand it.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Otos are tiny and need to forage constantly for food, the stress and lack of food between capture, shipping across countries and oceans, and eventually to a store leave them very weak and starved. Only buying ones that do not have caved in stomached and making sure they are actively foraging will help reduce chance of getting one that may die. That said I've only managed a 50% survival rate, even though I do a long drip acclimation to adjust them to my water.
Suplimenting their diet with blanched zucchini, cucumber, and leafy greens like lettuce rather than expecting them to live on diatoms is a good idea.


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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

I immediately started putting in Omega Micro Veggie pellets when I put one only in my tank and he did OK. The only food that I put in which he goes for almost as soon as I put it in.


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

I had some for quite a while once. It was a forty gallon tall with a giant mass of driftwood covered with nljf. I stirred up the substrate moving some stuff and then they all died soon after. Anytime I have had success long term has been in low flow tanks, densely planted, and most importantly just left alone.


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