# Vinlo's 55 Journal - 03/21/05



## badmatt (Nov 19, 2003)

a good deal for the xp3 goto mops.ca 



or www.drsfostersmith.com like just over 100 bucks usd


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## Tonyd (Jan 22, 2004)

Nice design. I like the idea of the large swords in the corners, are you planning on getting ones that look different or similar/same variety? The same ones on either side might have a nice framing effect or it might be too symmetrical, I think it could go either way depending on the rest of your layout. 

The driftwood is nice. If you are going to try the U effect I would suggest trying them so that both the open parts face toward the middle, kind of like a frame. Right now they both open toward the left and the flow of the layout points off to that side.

Just a few ideas.

Tony


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## mario (Feb 5, 2003)

I would really reconsider the swords in the corner. I had something similar at one time in my 90 gallon tank and it really looked to symmetrical. Not to say that this is always the case, but it is something to keep in mind.

It's always problematic to move swords once they've grown in.


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## Vinlo (Mar 29, 2003)

Yeah, I think the swords in the corners something I may reconsider. I have 7 sword plants in my current tank that I have to get rid of so I figure if I use two I will be happy. 

There should be plenty of room for 2 of them to grow big though (any more and they will be out of control I think). I orignally planned to put them both on the right side but thought it bit get a little too congested. Like Mario said, I really have to make a decision because moving a sword is like pulling out some wisdom teeth (without the drugs).

Tony, I was starting to think the same thing. It was looking too left side oriented or something. I am going to see what it looks like flipped around. Oh yeah, that driftwood on the right is from rockartsource on eBay (topic we had a while ago), pretty impressed with the piece and service.

Thanks for the advice, keep it coming!


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

It looks great Vinlo! Your layout is going to look great!

I am not sure about the swords either, but I can't really offer up any alternatives at this time, so I better keep my mouth shut!!! :wink:  

Mike


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## zantha (Mar 18, 2004)

Wow...Nice Layout.


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## Vinlo (Mar 29, 2003)

Well, I went out hunting for some plastic mesh tonight. Found some at home depot (even though I called earlier and they said they didn't carry it). Picked up a roll of that and some suction cups. I'll be trying to get that ready tomorrow night possibly. Flourite should be here tomorrow also.

I've been looking over my layout, and the more I look at it the more symmetrical it seems to me. Maybe I am just over thinking it. I just don't want to have to move the swords - PITA!


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## wellbiz (Aug 6, 2003)

Vinlo said:


> Well, I went out hunting for some plastic mesh tonight. Found some at home depot (even though I called earlier and they said they didn't carry it). Picked up a roll of that and some suction cups. I'll be trying to get that ready tomorrow night possibly. Flourite should be here tomorrow also.
> 
> I've been looking over my layout, and the more I look at it the more symmetrical it seems to me. Maybe I am just over thinking it. I just don't want to have to move the swords - PITA!


I think I agree... Two swords would be to symmetrical... Might try maybe some corkscrew val, maybe another stem plant, something red like Red temple, heck I will give you some of each if you want......

Jason


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## Vinlo (Mar 29, 2003)

Jason, I may have to take you up on that offer sometime. I will be short on plants though for a bit, with the new tank and all. I will gladly give you cash though.


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## wellbiz (Aug 6, 2003)

Vin,

Just let me know when you want some.....We will work something out.

Jason


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## SCMurphy (Oct 21, 2003)

If you did go for the two swords I'd say use different species, tall on the left and short on the right. In opposition to your wood so you get a counter effect to the wood ratio. The one on the right could even be one of the species with the rounder leaves for a bolder contrast. I know this doesn't help if you were set on using the plants from your current aquarium. Just a thought.


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## Vinlo (Mar 29, 2003)

Sean, any suggestions on the shorter sword? I would most definately have to order one since I think I have the best selection of plants in my city. :shock:


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## SCMurphy (Oct 21, 2003)

Vinlo said:


> Sean, any suggestions on the shorter sword? I would most definately have to order one since I think I have the best selection of plants in my city. :shock:


I know how that goes. :lol: The fish store guys' eyes glaze over when I tell them what I have.

The best choice would be :shock: a hybrid or varital. Not my favorite thing to say as a biologist but I'm not a gardener and those things are very common in the plant trade. I was just given a couple 'kompacta' swords??? I'm not sure of the spelling, and they are tiny compared to most swords. Echinodorus parviflorus "Tropica", Echinodorus harbich, or Echinodorus schleuteri might also be what you're interested in if you go that route. But hey, you could get a stand of tall crypts in there and have it look good, too.


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## Slaigar (Jun 8, 2003)

I agree with Sean on the E. harbich. I love the look of it. In Canada, I do not know where to find it though. However, Ottawa Aquatics does have it listed on their gigantic list of plants they emailed me. You could check with them on that.


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## corigan (Feb 22, 2004)

I have a red rubin sword, it's not real tall (excellent mid-level sword) but grows bushy.

Matt


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## Vinlo (Mar 29, 2003)

I was in the Pet Smart last weekend and the useless sales person mentioned something about setting up a new plant something or other. So maybe (yeah right) they will start getting in some different varieties. My only other option is looking around Detroit, but from what I have heard there is not much selection there either. I suppose I could order one, but then it is a hassle with shipping it to an American address then picking it up and bring it acros. Maybe a taller crypt? Balansae? I have some of them, they don't seem to send out too many runners though (currently - no root feeding). I am convinced it has to be some type of different sword or plant all together.

On another note, I switch the wood around after I added my new flourite. I think it looks much better.. thanks all!


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## Vinlo (Mar 29, 2003)

Well, well. I just pillaged my current tank for plants. I think I may have been an amatuer crypt. farmer without knowing it!

Here is a pic of what I took out. I didn't want to go over board (fear of stirring up too much mulm, etc.) the towel that the plants are on is about 5' X 2'. Not a bad haul out of a 30g tank I think. I plan on planting the new tank tomorrow.


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## wellbiz (Aug 6, 2003)

And next weekend I will give you a truck load more.....


Jason


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## Vinlo (Mar 29, 2003)

Alright, here is a pick a day after planting and filling. Only problem is my grandiose visions of a moss wall have really went sour. I thought I had enough moss to do the whole back wall. I barely had enough to do a 1/3 of it. Also, I think there is too much stuff in the way (heater, filter, co2 stuff, etc.). So I think I may axe the moss wall, but I will give it a bit of time to grow in to see what it would look like.

I know that the equipment looks terrible. I am waiting to see if I am going to buy a new XP3 for the tank.

I am still torn on what to put in the tank. I want a large school of some type of tetra or smaller fish (rasboras perhaps?), with some large type fish (I was initially thinking rainbows). What does everyone out there suggest? 

Also, I am going to run a CO2 line from my current tank to this tank (a run of about 12 feet I think). Should I run copper or just use tygon tubing? And would it be better to get a manifold with a shut off or could I just run a 't' fitting to splice the line? Thanks for the help.

I can't wait to get the plants from Wellbiz, that should fill it right up.


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## Vinlo (Mar 29, 2003)

Well, it has been running for 1.5 weeks. Thanks to some very generous fellow forum members (cough-wellbiz, TonyD-cough) I have got a jungle waiting to explode. 

I have a bit of brown algae setting in, not too worried.. new tank.. bound to happen. I have good growth on everything I have put in the tank so far. Waiting for some clean up crew (mainly ottos) and then I will be in business.

Started and finished my moonlight project tonight. Turned out pretty cool (way easier than I thought it would be). I used 3 LED from Radioshack (300mcd, 430nm). I think I probably should have used one more though.

I will post photo of tank with lights on and moon light on tomorrow if I have a chance (and if anyone is interested).


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## Tonyd (Jan 22, 2004)

Looks good. I would like to see the new planted pics and especially the moonlights. Glad you got those figured out, now you can set me straight when I try to piece some together. :wink: What is that you have in the front? Something weighted down?

Tony


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## Vinlo (Mar 29, 2003)

Tony, that's the pellia. I just netted it do some slate so it doesn't float around (too lazy to make sure it stays in one place). 

Them moonlights were super easy man. I just wish I did a better job with them.. really, they are quite sloppy.. but they work! I'll post pics tomorrow.


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## wellbiz (Aug 6, 2003)

Vinlo said:


> Tony, that's the pellia. I just netted it do some slate so it doesn't float around (too lazy to make sure it stays in one place).
> 
> Them moonlights were super easy man. I just wish I did a better job with them.. really, they are quite sloppy.. but they work! I'll post pics tomorrow.



Cant wait to see that jungle.... :shock: 

Jason

Edit, still waiting... heheheheheh


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## Vinlo (Mar 29, 2003)

Yeah yeah. OK after much wait I have taken one of the two photos I said I was going. Hopefully now that I have my tripod back I will get the other photo tonight or tomorrow.










Now I will just say, I kind of just jammed the plants in there in hopes that they would stop the algae from taking hold. They seem to be working. I have some brown furry type algae that seems to be on the retreat and some BBA on 1 of my e. tenn., I got the CO2 from the bottle hooked up today so I will see what happens there. It's been up about two or three weeks I think now. When should I start dosing ferts? I tested again today, nitrates are at ~5ppm and PO4 is 0. I figure I could add if nothing else some potassium and posssibly some micros. Any thoughts?

I bought 4 ottos and 3 SAEs for the tank on friday. I am still in a funk over what fish to get. I really want to check out some rainbows, but at $20 a fish (I didn't see any other at the fish store) it seems a bit steep. Any ideas? I want some nice main fish and a school of something else.

Tell me what you think!

As a side note.. do you guys leave all your lights on when taking photos (tank lights that is)? My photos always get washed out near the top and never show the proper colours (just shows white). LIke the above photo, the stem plant in the middle should be a really nice bright pink.. not white. Any tips?


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## Tonyd (Jan 22, 2004)

Looks nice, that pellia is really taking off. Where did you find the SAEs?

Tony


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## hubbahubbahehe (Sep 13, 2003)

hey dude, awesome tank, what are your impressions of pellia in terms of demands, lighting, etc?


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## Vinlo (Mar 29, 2003)

I think I will have to wait for the moonlight pic. My camera is really garbage for long exposures. Tomorroow night hopefullly.

Yeah, the pellia is really staring to take off (what about you Tony? Is is starting to grow?). As for demands, I found under the lighting I have (2 2xODNO 36") it really grow quite rapidly. It would really take no time to grow a nice forground.. just about as good with riccia. Before I was running 2 NO 36" and it still grew well, not as good, but still well. It is a pretty nice plant, the only problem is, it is much like Riccia, you can't seem to remove it completely from the aquarium if you want to.

Tony, oddly enough I found the SAE at my local PetSmart, they were bit pricey, but I figure with exchange and all they were about the same price. True SAEs at that.. I weeded out the fakes. Maybe I could try to bring some over for you guys? hehehe..


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

The tank is shapin up nice Vinlo... its got that amazonian feel to it 


> When should I start dosing ferts? I tested again today, nitrates are at ~5ppm and PO4 is 0. I figure I could add if nothing else some potassium and posssibly some micros. Any thoughts?


 You must be getting a good supply of micro's from your water like I do... I have cut way back on dosing these days. If your plants are doing well I would wait till they show signs of hunger (deficiencies) They will let you know when they need more... :wink:

Rainbows _would_ be beautiful in there... LOL... cha-ching !


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## wellbiz (Aug 6, 2003)

looking good.... cant wait for more pics... :shock:  

Jason


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## Vinlo (Mar 29, 2003)

*Vinlo's 55 - Updated - 06/06/04*

Well.. the tank is two months old. Everything (except the pellia) has grown well. No real algae problems (knock on wood).

I switched to an XP3 about 1 month ago and ditched the AC300 I was using.

I have stocked the tank with..
7 Rainbows (2 Turquoise, 3 Austrailians, 2 Bosemani)
22 Harlequins rasboras (great deal with a plant trade in!)
3 SAE
5 Ottos
6 Cherry Shrimp
3 Amanos (may be getting more sometime)

The tank seems really overgrown in the photo.. well I guess it is but it doesn't seem as overgrown in real life. It needs a good hack job this week. I am trying to get a glosso/riccia foreground going. I have been slowly taking out some of the starter plants to make larger groups of only a few species.










Let me know what ya think..


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

I think I like it! In fact, I know I like it!

Your hard work and research is really paying of. The set up looks fantastic!
What is the plant you have growing on the left side?


Mike


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

Super healthy looking tank Vin !
What varieties of plants are ya gonna be concentrating on ? I think you have a nice looking mix in there now... 
Once the riccia gets going and you get a thicker hygro patch with more stems in the rear left, I think it would be stunning ! :wink:


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

Very nice work vin:icon_bigg

Nice photo's too!


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## Vinlo (Mar 29, 2003)

Thanks all..

Momo.. plant on the left is stargrass that is quickly becoming out of control. I really like the plant though so I just can't get rid of it.

Buck.. mainly some anacharis and one of the varieties of Hygro (probably the green polysperma). But them I don't really have anything for that left side of tank. Maybe I should re think my plan.. ehhe. That riccia has been a slow go, it keeps floating to the top of the tank.. can't tie it down to save my life (I ran out of hairnets and can't seem to find any with a tight enough netting).


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## wellbiz (Aug 6, 2003)

Vin,

Looking good.....


Jroud:


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## Vinlo (Mar 29, 2003)

Well kids, it's been a while and I was bored.

Tank is coming along nicely 8 months later. No real problems to speak of, just trying to evolve it into something nice to look at, I think it is starting to get there.

Let me know what ya think.


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Wow, that's been a great 8 months. Tank looks great! roud:


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

Ya know Vin at first I thought you completely changed around the plantings but after closer looks and scrolling between last photo and this updated one, you really havent changed much at all... you just got the plants healthier and really got a good grasp of trimming the plants into a nice aquascape... 

Looks great man , thanks for the update ! roud:


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

Very, very nice!

I really like the Hydrocotyle verticilliata in the front center! roud: Great use of that really neat plant! 

Mike


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## aquaverde (Apr 15, 2003)

This is one of the most dramatic journals I've seen, culminating in a real masterpiece.


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## Vinlo (Mar 29, 2003)

Wow, thanks for the words James. And everyone else. You are too kind.


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## pufferfreak (Oct 19, 2003)

very nice tank! I Really love your tank!


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## BSS (Sep 24, 2004)

Looks like it could be made into a poster and sold. Looks great. Well done!!

Brian.


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## Vinlo (Mar 29, 2003)

Well, I was a bit bored tonight and decided to take a photo or two. The tank is coming along nicely (for the most part). I had a bit of a snafu about a month ago, when my inline reactor stopped working. I fixed that problem by changing the location of the CO2 inlet and reducing the flow out of the XP slightly. Things are back to normal now.

Anyways here is a pic of the tank as it stand right now, I am somewhat pleased with the layout. I think the right side needs to be tightened up a big, trim the ferns and get the ludwiga into a better grouping. As a side note, I thought I had lost all the pellia that was in this tank. To my surprise my once moss back wall is now mostly pellia, it looks pretty cool actually. It started on it's own and I have been helping it along now that I like it. 










Please comments on the tank are always greatly appreciated. 

Also, this is my only problem in the tank. My Alternanthera reineckii has become severly stunted in recent weeks. I was wondering if anyone has had this happen? I have been dosing with the EI for a couple weeks now and have noticed the stunting happened around that time (more or less). I was thinking too much K? I was dosing 1/2 TSP of KNO3 and 1/8 TSP of K2HPO4 every other day. I figured this wouldn't be too much. My gh is about 9 or so. Anyways.. here is a pic..


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## Urkevitz (Jan 12, 2004)

You really have a good eye for plant placements! Very interesting scape, I can't believe the depth you have acheived in a 55 gallon. Is all of your alternanthera stunted? I had the same problem but it only affected one stem.


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## Vinlo (Mar 29, 2003)

I would say about 30-40% of them, some are still growing well. I just may replace the stunted ones with some stems out of another tank and see what happens.

As for the depth, it's a breeder (I think), so it is quite deep (front to back), 18" I think. Definately a lot different from my other 12" deep tank.


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## Hop (Mar 27, 2004)

That's incredible. Things are looking fantastic. I agree, the depth you have obtained is perfect and the coloring is intense!!!


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

Lookin super Vinlo !
You can really tell when a tank has matured. Its a very nice effect you have going there, I think the depth comes from the good plant selections on the corner wraps, great job and thanks for the update... I love happy endings ! roud:


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## BSS (Sep 24, 2004)

What's the problem here? The tanks looks too much like it did 3 months ago! Aren't you itching to rip everything up and try something different :icon_bigg ?

Actually, the tank still looks great. I bet you're even sitting back and enjoying it. Now there's something *I* need to consider.

Very well done!
Brian.


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## Vinlo (Mar 29, 2003)

That is something that I never really got into - keeping on changing things. I slowly move plants around over months and finesse it into what I eventually think might look good. 

Thanks for the comments all!


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## rwong2k (Dec 24, 2004)

wow your tank looks pretty amazing, big difference compared to the 2,3 months old pix,

hopefully by reading your coments and experiences I can steal some ideas for the aquascaping for my tank

thx
Raymond


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