# 36 Gal. "Second Life"



## sapphoqueen (Feb 9, 2010)

we will wait to see it!


----------



## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

Oohh , cool driftwood, I love it! I am planning to rescape my tank soon too as soon as I gather new plants. I see a TV reflection, and you put creepy jenny twice. XD Must love the creeping jenny. Can't wait to see the driftwood in action.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Eden Marel said:


> Oohh , cool driftwood, I love it! I am planning to rescape my tank soon too as soon as I gather new plants. I see a TV reflection, and you put creepy jenny twice. XD Must love the creeping jenny. Can't wait to see the driftwood in action.


lol yea I asked my wife to turn off the tv for a min. and she got mad lol. And I did the post a couple hours later, and before bed haha. I do love the Creeping Jenny, it is a great hardy plant. In my 5.5 gal. it is growing out of the top of the tank, and up the wall. 

I should have the driftwood tomorrow. UPS states that it is on time for delivery. It should not take long to sink, so the re-scape should start either end of week next week, or the beginning of the following week. I am going to go hit up Aqua imports tomorrow and see what they have, It is the delivery day for plants. If they do not have much, then I will place my online order for the stuff sitting in the checkout cart.


----------



## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

Noahma said:


> lol yea I asked my wife to turn off the tv for a min. and she got mad lol. And I did the post a couple hours later, and before bed haha. I do love the Creeping Jenny, it is a great hardy plant. In my 5.5 gal. it is growing out of the top of the tank, and up the wall.
> 
> I should have the driftwood tomorrow. UPS states that it is on time for delivery. It should not take long to sink, so the re-scape should start either end of week next week, or the beginning of the following week. I am going to go hit up Aqua imports tomorrow and see what they have, It is the delivery day for plants. If they do not have much, then I will place my online order for the stuff sitting in the checkout cart.


Growing out of the tank and onto the wall!!:icon_eek: Soon your house is gonna have plants growing on the wall, like those vines people grow outside their house and climb their house, except yours will be inside. One of my friends claimed mushrooms were growing on their ceiling lol.

How much did your driftwood cost, what kind of wood that is? I bought me a medium mopani at Petsmart for $4.30... the FoCo and Loveland one didn't really have any nice shape that I envisioned, so I had to settle for the one at Loveland:










Is Aqua Imports that one place with the Amano Shrimp and Nerite Snails, I can't remember. Do they have nice plants, everytime I go to a fish store their plants are dead or dying, or they are 3-4x more expensive (only good if you are buying a few to save on shipping).


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Eden Marel said:


> Growing out of the tank and onto the wall!!:icon_eek: Soon your house is gonna have plants growing on the wall, like those vines people grow outside their house and climb their house, except yours will be inside. One of my friends claimed mushrooms were growing on their ceiling lol.
> 
> How much did your driftwood cost, what kind of wood that is? I bought me a medium mopani at Petsmart for $4.30... the FoCo and Loveland one didn't really have any nice shape that I envisioned, so I had to settle for the one at Loveland:
> 
> ...


the Driftwood was from DSdrifter in the S&S forum. It is a root wood of some sort that he collects along a local river in KY. Rod is a nice guy, and is easy to work with. When I get a chance, I will post a pic of the creeping jenny growing out of the tank lol. Right now it is all lumped on top of the HOB filter on the tank. Aqua imports is where I get most of my local plants. It is the nicer of the two boulder stores.


----------



## nemosreef (Oct 19, 2007)

What kind of light and wattage are you using on this tank?


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

It is a 30" coralife t5no fixture


----------



## marriemb (Aug 21, 2010)

looks beautiful but cluttered Noahma it needs more space


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

marriemb said:


> looks beautiful but cluttered Noahma it needs more space


Yep, which is why I decided to start a re-scape. Hopefully I can get a good chunk of it done this evening.


----------



## syzygy9 (Aug 9, 2010)

Looking forward to the updates. Love the driftwood...maybe it will actually be visible in the new set-up.

I just ordered that same fixture (based in part on your input) for my 36G tank....hopefully it shows up before this next weekend so I can start getting mine set-up too.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

syzygy9 said:


> Looking forward to the updates. Love the driftwood...maybe it will actually be visible in the new set-up.
> 
> I just ordered that same fixture (based in part on your input) for my 36G tank....hopefully it shows up before this next weekend so I can start getting mine set-up too.


Well, there was one problem with the driftwood, the wrong item number was sent to me, I am not upset about it though, the one he sent was the same price, roughly the same size, and just as cool looking (will post pics later) it will change the overall scape a bit, but just as fun. The original incarnation was set up as my second planted tank, kind of a random see how it grows type thing. This new scape is a purposeful and planned scape, so I plan to see the driftwood lol
I really like this light fixture, it works great for most types of plant I have tried


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Well. Here is the driftwood that was sent. The colors are not as vibrant as it is when fully submerged, and with light on it. There are tones of light brown, dark brown. I also has rocks stuck into the side of it, which must have happened as the root grew. It is AWESOME.

Here is the wood, so far it is on day 4 of being submerged in a 30 gal Tupperware container with the hottest water my tap can produce.


----------



## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

Those rocks are not going to do anything weird to your water? It probably very minute if it does since they look like small rocks and you have a 36g. How long are you going to soak it for?


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Eden Marel said:


> Those rocks are not going to do anything weird to your water? It probably very minute if it does since they look like small rocks and you have a 36g. How long are you going to soak it for?


I was hoping it would have sank already, but.... its still floating very well lol. This afternoon I am going to drill several small holes in the cut area at the back and then re-soak it for a few days, and if it does not sink then, I will put some stainless steel screws in the bottom and wait. The rocks appear to be safe, and the largest one is around the size of a half dollar, the others are all much smaller. So right now, the only thing I am waiting on is the wood, then it is full steam ahead.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Just about there!!! I might go see if I can get a few rocks and use them to hold down the wood and start the rescape tomorrow.


----------



## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

I don't think I could wait that long to rescape lol. But then again i am very impatient and impulsive. Everything has to be now now now.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Eden Marel said:


> I don't think I could wait that long to rescape lol. But then again i am very impatient and impulsive. Everything has to be now now now.


Trust me, I am that exact way too lol But the wood being so dry has sort of forced me to be patient. I have a HUGE plant order in a shopping cart at a plant website just waiting for me to get the initial scape done and see which plants I really want.


----------



## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

Maybe put the wood in your bath tub, and boils pots of water and pour it in the tub with the wood in it!! Just rinse your tub before that way in case the soap residue from your soap and shampoo will go away. And it shouldn't be too hard to clean after it. But then again that is me and I'm not too concerned about germs and stuff.

Or pour the boiling water into the plastic container, but I'm not sure if it'll melt or someting


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Eden Marel said:


> Maybe put the wood in your bath tub, and boils pots of water and pour it in the tub with the wood in it!! Just rinse your tub before that way in case the soap residue from your soap and shampoo will go away. And it shouldn't be too hard to clean after it. But then again that is me and I'm not too concerned about germs and stuff.
> 
> Or pour the boiling water into the plastic container, but I'm not sure if it'll melt or someting


I have a nice 15 gal. plastic tub in my backyard with a lid. I have been replacing the water with scalding hot water every day for two weeks lol.


----------



## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

Well gosh darn, lol. Guess I'll be sticking with mopani wood, jeeeeez.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Eden Marel said:


> Well gosh darn, lol. Guess I'll be sticking with mopani wood, jeeeeez.


lol, thats what I have been thinking. The wood that I did get is AWESOME though. And there is absolutely no tannins staining the water


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Well, the rescape starts tomorrow, my first objective is to hack away at the water wisteria, I plan on keeping some in the back right of the tank. All of my Val will stay where they are, and allow to fill in a bit back there. The three lotus plants are going to be placed with the tallest behind the wood, the mid tangled within the wood, and the small very low one in front of the wood. The lobela is going to be placed somewhere in the front. I am getting some Sunset hydro that will be placed mid tank in the back. I have a VERY large sword in the back that will stay put as well as two crypt. wendtii's. The Amazon swords will be brought forward to mid tank far left. With the Madagascar lace being put front left, with larger leaves being trimmed. I have an order I just need to submit for more dwarf 4 leaf clover that will be spread around the front of the tank. The Red Ludwiga I have will be used somewhere in the background as well. My Anubias Nana will be glued to the wood somewhere. I plan to attach some of the java moss on the new lace rock that will be in the tank as well.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Well, the tank re-scape went very well. I ended up not really moving a whole lot of plant around. I pulled the big fake log out of the right side, moved my ludwiga to the back, pulled a red rubin sword to the front right to let it grow a bit. Moved one (the lowest) lily in front of the wood, moved a small crypt. and my c. parva to a new location, and really just left everything else alone. I have plenty of room for some other stems coming hopefully tomorrow. I am very happy, the fish seem to be happy with the increased swimming room. The shrimp are enthusiastically exploring the wood. 

Here are a couple of finished pics. If you see anything that would help, feel free to add a comment 

The pics are not the greatest, I used my iphone. 
I also used a new app to take the pics, I will try to get some better ones up in the next few hours.


----------



## syzygy9 (Aug 9, 2010)

Looks great!

Couple questions...

What is the light green plant in the very front right? I need more small foreground type stuff and that one seems nice.

What is your photoperiod? We have the same size tanks and the same light fixture so I'd like to cheat from you at least as a starting point.


----------



## Chrisinator (Jun 5, 2008)

Awesome!


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

syzygy9 said:


> Looks great!
> 
> Couple questions...
> 
> ...


hehe, no probs. The plant in the foreground on the far right is a chain sword. I was not expecting it to survive in the tank due to the lighting requirements I had been finding online. But it is growing GREAT. I use a 12 hour photo period, the light turns on at 11am, and off at 11pm followed by about 1/2-3/4 hour of my DIY moon light. The light fixture is a GREAT one, I have had no problems growing any plants I have wanted to with the exception of high light plants. 

Now all I need to do is figure out why my dwarf gourami recently decided that chasing my male Dwarf Neon Ranbows is such fun. They do not seem to like it much.


----------



## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

It looks great, nice and roomy. How much light did you have? My Chainswords are great, easy crazy baby makers, but grew really tall... 13".


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Eden Marel said:


> It looks great, nice and roomy. How much light did you have? My Chainswords are great, easy crazy baby makers, but grew really tall... 13".


It is a coralife dual 18 watt T5NO fixture. I am trying to remember what species of chain it is. I think it might be a dwarf chain, or a micro chain?


----------



## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

Ohh I see. Mine was Narrow Leaf Chainsword was supposed to be no taller than 6" , but it got to 13" xD. Ohh yea, did this tank have shrimp in it? Did you catch them all.

When I did my 10g, I trapped some of them, but it was big PITA so I just redid the tank with most of them in there. Hopefully not to many got buried or squished.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Eden Marel said:


> Ohh I see. Mine was Narrow Leaf Chainsword was supposed to be no taller than 6" , but it got to 13" xD. Ohh yea, did this tank have shrimp in it? Did you catch them all.
> 
> When I did my 10g, I trapped some of them, but it was big PITA so I just redid the tank with most of them in there. Hopefully not to many got buried or squished.


I left the fish and shrimp in the tank while doing the rescape. I was careful to vacuum the areas where the plants were pulled up to grab all the nastys. I also fanned the substrate at the areas I put the plants to scare any shrimp off. I don't think I squished any. at the end I did a 50% water change, and I will be doing another 50% water change just to make sure I do not have any problems. I did not disturb too much though, most of the plants with the exception of the stems were where I wanted them already.


----------



## mightyoak (Mar 10, 2010)

Looks good! Sunset Hygro coming today if we canget in contact. PM sent!


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

masteroak said:


> Looks good! Sunset Hygro coming today if we canget in contact. PM sent!


Awesome, it looks great in the tank. And a benefit was my daughter going absolutely nuts because of the pink in the leaves lol. The other plant you gave me too is a very nice plant. I have it floating just above my Java moss and Anachrais side of the tank.


----------



## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

Ohhh not only is it pink, but it shimmers!!! Can't beat that!


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Eden Marel said:


> Ohhh not only is it pink, but it shimmers!!! Can't beat that!


lol, no you cant. The sunset hydro. is now planted in its location. I cannot wait for the roots to form, and it to start getting taller. I am very happy with the re-scape, it came together better than I could have imagined. I will try to get some pics up, and possibly a video when I get a chance.


----------



## syzygy9 (Aug 9, 2010)

any pics? 

sunset hygro was what i planned to use as part of my background as well....guess i have to find somebody in Texas that has it though.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

syzygy9 said:


> any pics?
> 
> sunset hygro was what i planned to use as part of my background as well....guess i have to find somebody in Texas that has it though.


It really has not started to grow much yet, I think it is still workin at getting the roots in play. I will post some pics as soon as I get a bit more growth out of it. 

I did however add a Crypt. Undulata today! It is a pretty darn nice plant, Got it from of all places Petsmart


----------



## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

What fish do you have?


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

problemman said:


> What fish do you have?


Lets see. 

(1)dwarf Gourami
(6)dwarf Neon rainbowfish
(7)Zebra Danio's
(3) Threadfin
(6)Glowlight Tetras
(4)Neon Tetras
(5)Celestial Pearl Danios
(4)Amano Shrimp
(3)Tracked Nerite Snails
(300+)Red Cherry Shrimp.


It is a heavy stocking level. I keep an eye on the levels quite often, and things are very stable. There is no aggression between any of the fish with the exception of my Dwarf Gourami deciding that she does not particularly like my male Dwarf neon Rainbow's
She is not bothered by the females, just the males. They are faster than her, so no damage or deaths have occurred. They usually swim into the plants, where she does not go, and she looses interest.


----------



## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

So, still not dosing ferts?


----------



## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

Wow thats a lot of fish! Cool lol
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Hilde said:


> So, still not dosing ferts?


Sort of lol, I do put ferts In every other week, mostly iron and flouish comprehensive. I have a few redish plants.



problemman said:


> Wow thats a lot of fish! Cool lol
> Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


Lol I know, they live in peace, and seem quite happy. The water quality is always on my mind, and it is stable and good


----------



## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

Noahma said:


> Sort of lol, I do put farts In every other week,


Lol, farts :icon_lol:


----------



## DANIELSON (Jul 15, 2010)

said farts lol


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

lol!!!!! I hate the Iphone sometimes fixed


----------



## syzygy9 (Aug 9, 2010)

Noahma said:


> Sort of lol, I do put farts In every other week,





Noahma said:


> lol!!!!! I hate the Iphone sometimes



too bad it was a mistake...i was ready to vote for it as the most innovative DIY CO2 method yet.


----------



## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

Noahma said:


> lol!!!!! I hate the Iphone sometimes fixed


I have a regular cellphone, ans I hate txting in general! xD



syzygy9 said:


> too bad it was a mistake...i was ready to vote for it as the most innovative DIY CO2 method yet.


Rofl! :icon_lol:


----------



## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

I cant stop laughing


> too bad it was a mistake...i was ready to vote for it as the most innovative DIY CO2 method yet.



Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

No large updates yet. The tank continues to recover from the plant moves lol. The fish are very happy with the new room. I have added a couple new plants, one being a tiger lotus bulb, still waiting for it to sprout. And a Cardinal plant. I have also added 6 CPD's to the tank too. It gives a good contrast when to size and it is always a treat when a couple of them swim to the front of the tank. I need to figure out what to do about the wisteria though. It is slowly going bare near the bottom, and the tops are getting more and more bushy. I need to encourage more growth at the bottom, but the top grows so fast that it shades the bottom quickly. I have thought about just chopping it down to just a few sprigs of the stuff and let it grow in, but I am a little concerned about loosing the plant mass, which I need to keep the water params more stable. Maybe I could do it one stem at a time. 

Will update with pics soon.


----------



## jacari (Dec 1, 2009)

very lush.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Hmm.... Been contimplating making this tank a high light tank now. What should I do? find a T5-HO fixture? or add another T-5 NO fixture? The benefits of the T-5-NO fixture would be better light spread, but would that give me enough light to play around? I will probably do another budget Paintball CO2 system using dual 24 oz. tanks, since the refills are very inexpensive and the store is very close to my house. I have had great luck so far on my 10 gal with it.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

WE ARE GOING MED / HIGH LIGHT!!! lol i got a t5-HO fixture for xmas, along with a co2 regulator and needle valve. I am working at hanging the light as we speak, will post pics soon


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Here are a few pics, I will post a few more tomorrow, hopefully they will be better lol. 

The light mounted perfectly with the included mounting kit + items from home depot. The fish are very vibrant with the bulb choices. The fixture is the Zoomed T-5 HO 30" found now at Petco. It has a single reflector, with tons of room to reflect. I have the Ultrasun (6500k bulb) and the Florasun (5000k pink bulb)

I am getting my co2 bottles filled tomorrow, the regulator set my wife purchased is one designed for use with paintball tanks, so I will have (2)20oz tanks to rotate every couple months. I get very cheap refills so the solution is a pretty good one. 

Now all I need to do is start a rescape with some red plants, and move the plants I already have around a bit. (fun fun)


----------



## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

My favorite pink plants are the Dwarf Lillys. They grow and loose leaves constantly. Got 2 at Wall-mart for about $3.

I think Alternanthera reineckii 'rosaefolia' would look good in there.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

ohhhh.... I might have to get a few stems of that lol. I am completely used to all of the low light plants, but these high light plants are like a new world to me. My 10 gal has a couple, but man this is going to be fun.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

I decided to do what I do best lol.... plan. I had a few spare moments to draw up a concept of the layout in Autocad, Think this will work? The plan is to have all of the stems sort of step down as they reach the front of the tank, which will be up kept by trimming lol.

There might be a few plants I find I like that are not in the plan, and substitutions may apply depending on the availability of the plants I do not have. I do have many of the ones already listed.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Some of the plants are now on order at a LFS, they are awesome and can do custom plant orders for people lol. I ended up getting a few bunches of Cabomba "purple" which is in the spot designated furcata, but I still plan on replacing some of the caroliniana with the furcata when I am able to get ahold of some of that again. 

The fish were NOT happy with me at all today. they are just now getting more used to the changes I made, and the amount of crap I vacuumed out of the substrate in the once dark areas of the tank was horrible.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

ok, going a new route lol After getting all the nifty new plants I have wanted for a long time... I realized that I have a thing for the Camboba like plants lol, which has left the tank looking a bit bland. Soooo..... I think over the next few weeks / month I will be adding some stems of various shades, and various shapes. And pulling about half of each bunch already in the tank out. I will definatly keep the red cabomba (if I can keep it alive) and some of the green and purple cabomba, I will loose the sessiflora (safely, and with total annihilation) I might pull the val out, it is a magnet for staghorn, and it really is not doing it for me anymore. I will get some more of the small form cardinal plant, pull some more of the didlipis diandra and put some more in the foreground to increase the bush size. Add dwarf four leaf clover for carpet. reduce the number of lilly's in the tank to whatever is attached to the bulb in the front left lol, and keep my prized red tiger lotus. Keep the parrots feather, and the red parrots feather (growing out the red now) Remove the chains sword in the front right. Keep the crypt in the front right, and keep the Brazillian pennywort as an accent plant. I would LOVE to find some HYDROCOTYLE VERTICILLATA, it is a cute plant lol. 

Lets see how things turn out. 

This is what the tank looks like at this very moment. 

































any comments, advice, words of encouragement, fun jokes and tips are appreciated


----------



## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

I like the improvements. I give it a 9.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Hilde said:


> I like the improvements. I give it a 9.


Thanks! If I were to vote on my own tank it would be a 5 lol, I ahve a ton of work to do to get it where I want. I read a great article for trimming stems to get a bush going, so I think I will experiment with my 10 gal first, then move forward to getting the 36 that way. I will play around in the 36 too, but it may not be as extensive as I plan for it in the near future.


----------



## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

I like it too, but that lily pad thing kinda blends in with your substrate! You have a tankful of Rainbows, have they made you eggs


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Eden Marel said:


> I like it too, but that lily pad thing kinda blends in with your substrate! You have a tankful of Rainbows, have they made you eggs


lol I noticed that about the lotus, hopefully when it starts getting a bit taller i can move it to one of the sides of the tank, and it will show better. the new leaves are a very bright red, the older growth is darker. I am not sure if I have had any eggs, they would disappear pretty quick with the amano, snails, cherry shrimp in the tank. I am workin at finding some dwarf four leaf clover. for a carpet. I need to figure out the MTS thing though, they like to push my plants up if they are not rooted well lol. 

here is a link to the pruning posts i found
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...lants-discussions/57960-pruning-timeline.html

My sick rainbow is getting much much better now. the pop eye has gone down, and the splotches are going away now too. no other deaths, or illnesses are happening now either. 

he he, now I have to find a good feathery yellowish or light green stem to bushify in my 10 gal. I think I will finally get rid of the red root floater, and bring the whole tank up to high light instead of just half.


----------



## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Noahma said:


> I read a great article for trimming stems to get a bush going,


Do you have a link to it?


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Hilde said:


> Do you have a link to it?


oh sorry I forgot to post the link, here it is for ya. 

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...lants-discussions/57960-pruning-timeline.html

No pics yet, I am in the process of working on an actual scape, the last idea failed. So onto another. I am however moving from PPS to EI in an attempt to remove any possibilities to the algae I have.


----------



## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

I think some 4 leaf clover would add some depth. Your tank has so much potential. You just need something low for stepping up to the tall plants, like the 4 leaf clover and some wood. 

Here 4 leaf clover


----------



## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

Hilde said:


> Here 4 leaf clover


you sure thats four leaf clover? maybe its the blurry pic kinda looks like cardamine


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Hilde said:


> I think some 4 leaf clover would add some depth. Your tank has so much potential. You just need something low for stepping up to the tall plants, like the 4 leaf clover and some wood.
> 
> Here 4 leaf clover


I have a fairly large piece of driftwood in the tank, as well as a newly planted group of marsilea quadrifolia (AKA four leaf clover), as well as some glosso to see which takes off first lol, so far they are both spreading the same. I am ramping up my height from front to back with a small bush of Didlipsis diandra, and a bush of HEMIANTHUS MICRANTHEMOIDES right in front, and a species of rotala and a species of limnophilia behind that. I have a whole list of plants I am having slowly ordered from a LFS, including the star grass which should be here by friday. Once things are more grown in I will post some more pics 



problemman said:


> you sure thats four leaf clover? maybe its the blurry pic kinda looks like cardamine


I think it is too. The four leaf in my 10 gal (also now in my 36) looks completely different.


----------



## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

im leaning to almost positive that its cardamine


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

problemman said:


> im leaning to almost positive that its cardamine


I am thinking so too. I wonder if I can be trained to crawl across driftwood, There are a couple branches on mine that it would looks sweet growing around.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...tails.php?id=34&category=plant_type&spec=Stem


----------



## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Here is a different picture of the 4 leaf clover I have. Not cardamine


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Hilde said:


> Here is a different picture of the 4 leaf clover I have. Not cardamine


That is the emmersed growth state. It will usually blacken and die, and the submersed form then grows, which looks very much like glosso but a bit deeper green. It will grow single, and tripple lobed leaves.

Here is the PT profile on the clover, and if I get a chance to, I will post a pic of the clover in my 10 gal tank (lower right front if you look at my 10 gal journal)

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/m...over_Water_Shamrock_Marsilea_quadrifolia.html


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Rescape underway! lol well actually I did a good deal on sat. 

added plants. 
HETERANTHERA ZOSTERIFOLIA
PROSERPINACA PALUSTRIS 
ROTALA MACRANDRA (lets see if I can keep it alive lol)
POGOSTEMON STELLATUS 'BROAD LEAF' 

I pulled out all of the limnophilia sessiflora, it gets leggy under high light, and compact under low light, and mine was covered in BBA. I also removed ALL stems of Cabomba, for some reason it just never works for me lol.

This left a HUGE amount of space to add some plants to fill in the empty space and see if I can get some bushes going. The didlipsis is slowly starting to branch out with every trimming, and is doing well. The Star grass is growing very well, and fast. The other two are still very green, and seemingly starting to recover from the travel. The surprising one is the Macandra. While it is not red, and the old leaves are starting to fall apart, I do have new growth, it is coming out a bit yellow/green though, instead of red lol. Hopefully once it fully recovers and roots it will start to pull out some more red leaves. I am just glad at this time that it is actually growing. Unfortunately my Madagascar lace did not make it, the leaves have slowly been overtaken by BBA and dropped off. I am going to leave the bulb just in case it went into hibernation and will grow again. 

The co2 is slowly getting dialed in. I am just off very very slightly at getting the right amount in. I do have some minor pearling out of the Brazilian pennywort. It is growing some very small o2 bubbles under the leaves. The fish are still a bit uneasy about the loss of plant mass. they used to have refuge at the back of the tank when they got nervous, which is not there anymore. Soon though. 

I am down to one single Red cherry  I am not sure what happened to make the tank unsuitable for them, but they have slowly withered from 300+ last year down to the single one I have now. Once he is no longer visable, I will be adding a German blue ram. along with a group of Frucata Blue eyes (rainbowfish) To go along with my rainbow obsession. I also want to put a group of Ember tetras in as well, but I need to get that plant mass up lol 


so I ended up grabbing a small group of plants.

Here is a pic as of tonight, I will post more often as the plants continue to grow. I am going to limit the height to the 3/4 range to keep enough light going to the bottom of my tall tank.


----------



## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Gorgeous! 
I think you can keep all alive if you get Seachem root tabs. They are $9.53 here with no shipment cost.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Hilde said:


> Gorgeous!
> I think you can keep all alive if you get Seachem root tabs. They are $9.53 here with no shipment cost.


Thanks. There are root tabs under my heavy root feeders IE the Red tiger lotus, The other lotus and wendtii, and the madagascar lace


----------



## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

Wow man, nice so far! Looks more roomier/empty, I was gonna say now you have a fish problem before it was plants now its fish. But I think you need a camera first before getting anymore fish or plants lol. Hehe, just saying


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

LOL I need a vacation first, then fish, then plants and camera lol


----------



## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

Hahaha, maybe think of it this way  If you havea camera you can take awesome pics of you and your family at the getaway, and when you come back take awesome pics of your tank hahahahahahaha. 

Ahh so many things so little money!!


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Well, tiny update. The Stelata is growing, and getting RED!!!! The star grass is growing quite well, it has abit to go to replace all of the melting leaves from the shipping. BBA is all but gone, it is only living on the leaves that were infected before I changed things a bit. The Macandra is doing pretty darn good, but new froth is green lol


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Update. I uploaded a crappy quality video to youtube lol. Things continue to fill in, I am now at the point where most of the newer plants all have new growth to the point I can start trimming the emmersed growth off the bottom and replant the tops. The next phase is to start bushing out the plants. The stelata has been attacked by BBA in the emersed areas, so I have done some H2o2 cleanup while I get it growing at a steady pace. The aromatica is now just starting to peak over the driftwood in the back right, and the temple is well.... not growing, but not falling apart either. i have a deficiency of some sort in the stelata, scarlet temple that I cannot figure out. I am doing EI dosing in the tank, which should leave an excess. The leaves are stunted, and twisted. I have added more micro on the rest day before my water change to help combat it. I had an accident that took the lives of a threadfin, and two glowlights on Monday night. I have lost two Glowlights and a Threadfin within the past week. I am convinced that it was due to me adding the buffer (calcium to see if it is that deficiency) The glowlights and that one threadfin were right below where I dosed, I did not see them when I plopped the powder in, and it landed on them 

Will post again soon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7IgpWI8ieM


----------



## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

problemman said:


> you sure thats four leaf clover? maybe its the blurry pic kinda looks like cardamine


Recently found out that what I thought was four leaf clover is marsh pennywort
(Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides).


----------



## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Noahma said:


> The stelata has been attacked by BBA in the emersed areas, so I have done some H2o2 cleanup.


I wonder if having a siesta in the lighting period would help deter BBA. It has helped me to keep algae under control.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Hilde said:


> Recently found out that what I thought was four leaf clover is marsh pennywort
> (Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides).


100% sure it's Marsilea quadrifolia in it's submersed state. It was purchased from Florida aquatic, and is a full tank carpet in my 10 gal. The few nodes you see in my 30 gal is a recent transplant from that tank.

My lights are set to 8 hours, if I cut back much more by adding a period in the evening (lights are on at 2pm off by 10) it will start to effect plant growth. My problem is co2 concentration. The bba was in retreat until I started playing with the co2 a bit. It's only growing on dead and very old growth. Since the stellata was grown emersed, the old growth will die off. It will take a while for the new growth to grow out enough for me to completely get rid of the emersed growth.


----------



## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

I'm sorry to hear about the BBA.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Rockhoe14er said:


> I'm sorry to hear about the BBA.


Not a problem, I've dealt with it in the past, it is growing very slowly which leads me to believe that I am right on the verge of getting.rid of it


----------



## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

nice that's always a great sign. how are the new plants doing?


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Update time. The BBA is now only growing on the plants it has been on, no new infections on new pants, or new growth. The Star Grass has taken off like a rocket, and I am having to trim it back every couple days lol. The stellata is now growing at a pretty good pace, I am having to trim the bottom every week, at least one node of the emersed stuff. I will not start trying to get it to "bush out" until I get all of the emersed growth trimmed off. A very cool thing has happened with the lotus on the left of the tank, it is multi colored. Under the low light the leaves were a light brown / coppery color, now they are iridescent pinkish with hue of green towards the center. I LOVE it. I have added a few stems of bacopa behind my little group of macandra and ambula. The brazillian pennywort is going gangbusters again too. I like the nice bush that has formed in the far right. Although I did get some stems of Hygro. Corymbosa from Eden Mardel, that will grow out right next to it. 

I am very confused with my limno. aromatica though lol It is growing horizontal which tells me that it is most certainly under high light, but... a couple of carpet plants that I had tried grew up telling me that they were not getting enough light to stay at the substrate level. I am going to wait it out and see what it does before either pulling the stems, or moving them elsewhere. (I am getting new stems out of the bottom of these though.) I have also aquired some UG from Eden to give it a try as well. So far it is still green, and in one piece. It has sent out a bunch of bladders around the edges, which I think is its attempt to get some foods for rapid growth ;p I hope it does well because it is a very pretty plant. My wife even commented on how much she likes it. 

And now some pics.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Well, I have been debating whether to put a german blue ram in, or get a double red apisto.

I went from LFS to LFS looking for the double reds. One place had a pair for 34.99, one LFS had TONS of them for 12.99, but one appeared to have hole in the head, and a few looked worse off. Another LFS had a couple, but had really bad ich. So.... I went to a store specializing in Chichlids that had some AMAZING colored German Blue rams for a good price. So..... I got one lol


----------



## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

NICE... now that's what i call a tank with a ton of plants


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Rockhoe14er said:


> NICE... now that's what i call a tank with a ton of plants


lol yea, and there is still room for more. 

So far the GBR is fitting right in, my Dwarf Gourami is happy as a clam too lol, this has been the first fish that has let her touch it with her barbels. The others just run.


----------



## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Noahma said:


> I went from LFS to LFS looking for the double reds. One place had a pair for 34.99, one LFS had TONS of them for 12.99,


I would first post wanted at the Colorado aquarium association. For here in GA I get a pair of Double reds for $13.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Hilde said:


> I would first post wanted at the Colorado aquarium association. For here in GA I get a pair of Double reds for $13.


I had just been at the auction last week, and did not get the double reds that went up for auction. I am happy with my purchase, it was not a "second best" sort of thing, this was on my list of fish to keep. 

The little guy is having fun exploring the tank.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Just a quick update. Everything is growing well. My Aging danio's are slowly passing away. they have now lived in three different tanks, starting from my lowly 10 gal. up to this 36 gal. They were the first fish since getting back into the hobby, and deciding to plant. 

I will be getting another danio eventually, but they will be a bit more special lol. I am thinking some danio choprae, but at 6.99 each I have to wait a bit. 

I have added a schooling fish though, A nice small (at first) school of Espes Rasbora, They school very tightly, and are very visible anywhere they are in the tank. Very fun to watch. I plan to bring the school up to 12. 

Ok, some update pics

Overall, in living room









as good as I could get of the new arivals









German Blue Ram begging for food









The carpet is starting to spread (about darn time)









still trying to get the UG to stay rooted, although it is growing.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Added more fishie friends lol. I bit the bullet and bought 4 Danio choprai with the idea of adding two more soon, and maybe 4 total to bring them up to 8. These guys are HYPER!!! Moving much mroe and faster than my Zebra Danio's did when they were in around. The colors in these things are some of the most vibrant I have seen in a fresh water fish. If I had not did my research before hand, I would have assumed that they were painted. They have very distinct orange lines down the sides of their bodies. They also have a yellowish body color that appears to be deeper in the skin. There are vertical stripes that are very faint, and look similar to the cross banded danio. 

VERY NICE FISH!!! lol


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Just realized that it has been a while and is now time for an update. Since my last posting I lost my pair of GBR's to some freak bug, they were fine, and then the next day dead  I purchased a new male from a trusted LFS, and he is doing great two months later, and is very very active around the tank. My Dwarf Gourami and him have taken to eachother like old friends. They both hunt for food around the tank together and all. The tank is doing well except for this strange bout of BBA, which is only attacking in the middle third of the tank. I will continue to fight. I have taken the Zoisterfolia out of the tank, the bottoms were not getting enough light, and it was turning into a mess. I replaced it with ROTALA SP. 'NANJENSHAN'. I had asked if the LFS could get me in some Rotala Rotundifolia green, but this was the closest they could get. The requirements seem to be the same, so we will see how well it does. I have had one good size trim in the past I am looking for a plant that is happy in any light level, and with Co2 Hoppy recommended the rotala green. My stellata is a tank buster lol, in a week it has put on over 6" in height out of the tops, and grown over 7 new stems out of the previous 4 I had!!! the Aromatica is slower growing, and is starting to take on a nice pink hue with the added Iron. The Inclinata Cuba is doing great, and is also a very very fast growing plant, with 4" put on this week alone. the carpet is still slowly creeping its way around the front of the tank, it is going to take a very long while to get it going.

Well... Here are the pics.

FTS (I know, better camera in the future)









Happy Male Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish









insane stellata growth









My healthy GBR friend (Girl to come for him next month)









Inclinata 'Cuba' (this plant does very well in the mid light parts of my tank)









Aromatica









Threadfins chillin


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Quick update. 

The Stelatta is well... a monster. I trim it, and it sends out 5+ new side shoots. I am now up to about 15-20 stems lol. I also added a female GBR for my lonely male tonight, he is happy as a clam in mud. 

Here are a few pics


----------



## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

I like how you have some med. ht plants in front of the wood. It added depth. Makes me as a viewer interested in seeing what's back in there. I like that effect, I try to incorporate that element in my own aquascapes.

Nicely done!


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

DogFish said:


> I like how you have some med. ht plants in front of the wood. It added depth. Makes me as a viewer interested in seeing what's back in there. I like that effect, I try to incorporate that element in my own aquascapes.
> 
> Nicely done!


Thanks. the right side is the side I am very happy with Although I had to move the inclinata 'cuba' last night. The right corner is a pain, it gets less light than the rest of the tank because of the equipment. The left side has undergone some drastic changes too. I moved the cuba behind the corymbosa (movet the corymbosa to the right with the rest. Moved the lotus right above and behind the red tiger lotus. And started working on bushing out the plants though some pretty major trimming. I hope I get the results I am hoping for lol. I also plan on adding some Rotala Sp. Green at some point to start a bush on the right side, along with a large sword in the back right corner.


----------



## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Beautiful tank, it has a great Dutch look and feel to it. Great fauna selections.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

UPDATE!!! lol the tank has been doing great, did a pretty good sized rescape to it. and have been working on getting it filled in. I do massive trims every month or so to get the bottom of the stems to stay healthy, the inclinata seems to like to melt after a few trims. Few new plant species, a couple amazon swords (hoping they will grow big in the back right side of the tank. I added some erectus from my flora to the tank, and it seems to be doing very well too. My tiger lotus has gone into a quiet period, it is sending out fewer leaves, and they are staying much more bushy and compact. 

For the sad news, I lost my dwarf gourami, she died of what I can say is probably old age, she was 3 years old, and was showing signs of it. Persistent fin rot, bacterial infections ect. She will be missed 

A few weeks after that, I lost a few more fish to another disease I am not sure what brought it on. It started with a strange infection in a threadfin that had a black ring, with white in the center. I quickly lost every threadfin in the tank. I did not even have time to pull them. I lost my oldest male dwarf neon rainbowfish as well. I am now just sitting back and waiting to see if anything else is going to pop up before I restock with a new stock list. This will include my two rams (both are doing very well, and have spawned four times, and have enjoyed midnight omelets 4 times.) I will go with some softer water rainbows, IE, more dwarf neons, threadfins, and Frucata rainbows. My daughter wants me to get another gourami, so I am thinking a honey gourami this time. 

here is a FTS, and some other random shots from the past month or so

My iphone cannot pick up some of the reds in the tank in the later photos, I am now using a new app, which lets me set the white balance, and is helping a great deal. I also modified the EI dosing again. I am doing normal KNO3, double K2HP04, normal CSM+B, and adding a tiny bit of iron. 


Pre-trim











Post Trim










Stelatta broad leaf










inclinata 'cuba'










Macandra (this plant is much more red now that I have started upping the iron, and really focusing on the ferts)


----------



## frenchymasters (Nov 28, 2011)

i like your choice of fish for your tank. i breed rainbows so its nice to see that others enjoy them too! very nice tank as well!


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

frenchymasters said:


> i like your choice of fish for your tank. i breed rainbows so its nice to see that others enjoy them too! very nice tank as well!


Thank you. I LOVE rainbows, I need a bigger tank for some of the larger species though. One of these days I will get around to setting up a 72 gal. bowfront and go with my favorite rainbows (herbi's)


----------



## frenchymasters (Nov 28, 2011)

do you go for quality or the run of the mill bows? i have alot of quality bows that i have sourced out. like my F2 praecox 'pagai' rainbows and then german red bows, true wanamensis, parkonsoni, iran reds, golden gertrudes, gertrude aru II, and parva....im still collecting some more


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

A few quick update pictures. Things are growing nicely except my pinninfida. but otherwise its going good.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Rescape incoming!!! 

I have some black granite and black sand ready to go in the tank. All I am waiting for now is my root tabs (should be here very soon) and the tank will get a major redo. I am a bit tired of the driftwood, it seems to be a magnet for BBA and Staghorn, so out it goes.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

frenchymasters said:


> do you go for quality or the run of the mill bows? i have alot of quality bows that i have sourced out. like my F2 praecox 'pagai' rainbows and then german red bows, true wanamensis, parkonsoni, iran reds, golden gertrudes, gertrude aru II, and parva....im still collecting some more


Sorry I completely spaced responding to your post lol (been a long time since I have stopped in my thread) 

I usually go for the run of the mill rainbows, Once I am able to get a larger tank, I am sure I will be going for some of the more specialty rainbows. I really want a large school of M. Kamaka's one of our LFS got some in stock and they are GREAT looking fish, and they stay pretty small.


----------



## Leaky Filter (Nov 30, 2011)

I really like watching the progress on this tank.


----------



## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

love the tank Noah. Can't wait to see the rescape.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Leaky Filter said:


> I really like watching the progress on this tank.


Thank you! It has been a fun process so far. I started with low light, then up to high light, got used to growing plants, now I am going to take a stab at doing an actual semi-planned scape. 



Rockhoe14er said:


> love the tank Noah. Can't wait to see the rescape.


Thanks man! Hopefully next time your in town you can stop by and see it, as well as take some trimmings back east with you


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Well, rescape is done. I will say, Catching endlers along with hundreds of fry is like trying to grab a greased pig. I managed to get everyone over to the 5g bucket with only a couple fry losses. Pulling the substrate out was pretty easy, although some of the top half of the substrate is still in the tank, it is thoroughly buried, and I will remove it if it comes to the top. the fish are all colored back up and they seem to love the new scape esp. my dwarf neons. I am taking suggestions for a carpet plant now lol. I have medium light at the substrate level, so something that will grow well there would be great. 

Anywho, here are the pics of the rescape. 

Before the tear down. 









all empty, and a bit blurry lol









the plants holding area, I found one single plant that I thought I had removed all of about a year ago, it was growing in a corner of the tank among my green rotala.

















Fish's day camp.









start of the rescape









Starting to fill









Figured the amazon sword would look good all filled in back here. Just to be sure things filled in, I also added my Crispus there to.









I filled the tank VERY slowly, I have plastic card pushed into the substrate to help hold the slope, I saw that on the green machine website lol









Rescape done, FTS!









Right side of the tank









Left side of the tank


----------



## synaethetic (Oct 4, 2011)

nice re-scape!


----------



## keilatan (Jan 22, 2011)

Oh what a difference! Beautifully done.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

synaethetic said:


> nice re-scape!


Thanks!



keilatan said:


> Oh what a difference! Beautifully done.


Thank you, I cannot wait to see it fill in a bit. I think I am going to try to keep the growth under control lol, the last scape sort of went wild.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Pretty good growth now, starting to fill in. I removed all of the Macandra due to massive stunting. It never recovered from the lack of nitrogen before the rescape. I put some red ludwigia in its place, hoping that I can keep it a slight shade of red. if not ehh. I will find something that will work lol. (just got this today, so its not in the pictures. 

Everything is growing at a very good pace, and soon I will be able to start "shaping" the bushes of plants. 

I also picked up 4 M. Herbertaxelrodi (yellow rainbows) at the LFS today, he has a good source for them. they are currently in Quarantine, and should move to the tank in a couple weeks. They are young, and just starting to color up. 

Only one other species of fish will be making its way into the tank, which will be an apisto pair. This might be a while though. 

Now for the pics. (sorry for the quality, I only have my iphone for the pictures lol)


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

quick video of the rainbow males flaring at each other last night in the Q tank. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcIA...DvjVQa1PpcFO2QvqAoJsOj8SCnAfIAqWY0jCGNykiiBs=


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Just a few more pics. Really wish I could get myself a better camera lol. The rainbows went through Q with no problems. I released them in the main tank a tad early, but I think they will be perfectly fine. 

They have taken on another hue from the bright yellow in the Q tank. And from what I read, the color is perfectly compliant with this species. It is more of a yellow / green, more yellow than green. The two males have setup a hierarchy now, with one being much more colorful than the other in the tails. Everyone in the tank is getting on fine, and the dwarf neons seem to have perked up even more now that they are not alone with nothing but endlers lol (I really need to get some population control in for these things maybe the apisto's I plan on getting will take care of the "problem")

I did a major hack on the left side of the tank, the plant groupings are starting to get thick. And I have been able to start adding some shape to the green rotala and cuba. I am still working on getting the old growth out of the way with the stellatus, and then to thicken up the plantings there as well. The Staurogyne sp. 'Porto Velho' is converting to submerged well, and they have taken root enough that I am not finding nodes floating around the tank when the MTS goes through them. There is some BBA popping up in certain plant groups, so I am working on getting that taken care of. 

























my Dominant male (and oldest rainbow)


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

And now stocking will be complete. I got my hands on a pair of "super red" Apisto's. Man this guy is sporting beautiful finage, and the female is a very pretty yellow / black. 

Male.









Female









I cannot wait for them to move from the Q tank to the display tank!


----------



## s thomas (May 16, 2012)

Very cool re-scape project, this was really cool to follow. I'm particularly interested in seeing the Apisto in the main tank, what a cool choice of fish.

Thanks for sharing this.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

s thomas said:


> Very cool re-scape project, this was really cool to follow. I'm particularly interested in seeing the Apisto in the main tank, what a cool choice of fish.
> 
> Thanks for sharing this.


I will see if I can snap some pics of them tomorrow, i have had two attempts at apisto babies. the first one went horribly and all eggs were lost, the second went very well with reaching free swimming fry. She however got bored and left them several times and the endlers had a hayday. I plan to pull a group of the fry out next time and attempt to raise them in another tank. 

This is my male just a few weeks ago. 









and my female.


----------



## Leaky Filter (Nov 30, 2011)

Is it me, or is that Praceox huge?


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Leaky Filter said:


> Is it me, or is that Praceox huge?


he is a little on the larger side of things. He is about 2.5-2.75", the glass being curved makes things seem a little larger as well. He is also 3.5 years old, with all of the other rainbows being much younger. So he has the look of a giant in the tank. The other rainbows are catching up though.


----------



## jahmic (Jan 30, 2011)

Whoa, tank is looking amazing! I was gone for a few months and missed the rescape...well done.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

jahmic said:


> Whoa, tank is looking amazing! I was gone for a few months and missed the rescape...well done.


Thanks! The tank has been coming along. I lost all of the apisto babies, the apisto mom decided she did not want them anymore and abandoned them, and my best guess is that the endlers got them  hopefully next time she will be more patient, or I will take the babies out and raise them in my 10g. 

I am having a problem with my stellatus (broad leaf) after a major replant the other week they decided to drop all their lower leaves. We will see how they go this next couple weeks. no noticeable growth out of them either since the replant. Great color though. 

this tank is nearing its end as well. in about 6-9 months I am going to be tearing it down for a tank with better dimensions. I was given the ok to buy a 40 breeder, the shallower tank will make it easier to get the right light level at the substrate, and the longer and deeper tank will make my rainbows happier. I have a lead on some pretty rare Rainbows, and once I get the 40B setup, I am going to see about acquiring a group of them. I really want more Kamaka's as well, they are great fish, and apparently good jumpers. I lost my female Kamaka due probably to a mosquito or moth that flew a bit to close to the water top. 

No new pictures yet, but hopefully at the end of the week if I get some stellatus growth.


----------



## jahmic (Jan 30, 2011)

Any updates Noah? How's the tank?


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

jahmic said:


> Any updates Noah? How's the tank?


Its going pretty good, nothing much has changed, the tank is in a state of auto run lol. I do my weekly water changes and trims, but nothing really new. The tank is nice as it is, and will be replaced by a 40B here in 6 months or so. 

I will grab a pic here soon.


----------



## Bleeker (Aug 29, 2012)

I love 40 breeders. They are perfect size IMO


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Bleeker said:


> I love 40 breeders. They are perfect size IMO


I am convinced of that now too lol, I have it sitting on my kitchen table (to my wifes chagrin) I cant wait to get it up and running, I started a journal already, it is mainly going to be a planted rainbow tank.


----------



## jahmic (Jan 30, 2011)

Nice! I almost picked one up myself at the last petco sale...but decided to wait maybe another year. Look forward to seeing the new build, glad to hear the bowfront is still rocking


----------



## Curt_914 (Oct 6, 2007)

Noah I like the Tank and cant wait to see the 40 B. I really wished there was larger following in CO for a planted tank enthusist. Would like to meet you some time to look at your tanks. 

Curt


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Wow its been a while since I last posted pics. Nothing new, really. I no longer have any Praecox rainbows, they are just such a week fish from the mass breeders I have a hard time getting them to live longer than a year. I have given up on them until I get the 40b setup, then I might find someone with a pure strain of Pagai Praecox and give them a go. My Herbertaxelrodi are having fun in the tank, they are the largest fish and are not afraid to show it. The tons of tiny endlers are still multiplying like crazy. I have given up on trying to control the population, and plan to give every last one of them to Aqua imports when I go to setup my 40B, which will be a mainly rainbow setup. I sourced the rainbows I plan for that tank if anyone wanted to see the journal I have setup for it, it is in my sig. 

Here is a few pics. (please ignore the little BBA I have lol, its being stubborn.)


































My sub-dominant Male Herbertaxelrodi in his breeding colors









My Dominant male, his back is much higher than the sub male. they all get along great. 

I have yet to make it to the tank to catch any eggs. the endlers are like little sharks! one of these days I will put a spawn mop in the tank and see if I can get some nice babies out of em. They seem to be a decent strain bred by someone local (given as credit to one of the LFS's)


----------



## jahmic (Jan 30, 2011)

Haven't checked in for a while. Your tank is looking great!


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

jahmic said:


> Haven't checked in for a while. Your tank is looking great!


Thanks, yea its been a while since I have heard from you too. Hows the salt water tank going? 

I am only a month or two away from tearing this tank down and putting the 40b up in its place, I cannot wait!!


----------



## jahmic (Jan 30, 2011)

Pooky125 said:


> I have a some pretty little cuttings, if your interested, PM me with ur address, refund me for shipping or send me some plants and you've got a handful.


The reefs are doing well...yes...reefs plural. Lol I guess I was bitten hard. The riparium is still doing well too, although I have had a couple setbacks due to power outages and the ballast going out on my Coralife fixture. My crypts bounced back, albeit slowly... I have been patient but I'm still tempted to add CO2 to this tank for better growth. All 3 tanks are looking great, give me a ring if you ever hit any of the shops down south and you're more than welcome to stop by and check things out.

Also, can't wait to see the new setup. Do you plan on selling the bowfront after the upgrade? Let me know if it's not already claimed...I really like that tank and have been thinking about replacing the riparium with a larger planted setup.


----------



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Well after 3-years and various scapes this tank is coming to an end. As we speak this tank is going through its final water change, Saturday morning it will be torn down and a 40B aquarium will be going up in its place. It has been a fun run full of learning and BBA lol. I am looking forward to the experiences with the 40b with a much better footprint and more choices for fish. 
Please stop by the new journal and follow along 


Thanks for following along!


http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=180770


----------

