# Crazydaz Square 200 Gallon-The End w/Teaser Shots of next set up!!



## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

I've had my tank up and running since the middle of October, but never had time to sit down and upload the pictures to Photobucket. So, this will be an ongoing series....kind of like a "Journal" that you might see on other sites. I'm a little annoyed too because I can't figure out how I upload the "high quality" shots that I can see on my laptop to Photobucket....the resolution seems to disappear when they are uploaded to that site. If any of you photographers out there want to give me a hand, I would be appreciative!

Anyhow:

Right Side:










Left Side:










Front Shot:










Right Oblique (only one set of lights are on in this picture):










I decided to try a light substrate this time; I've never used light substrate with a white sand cap before, and was initially encouraged by the clean look. Water is still tannin-stained, as you can tell. At the time, I think that I had planted MM and had some java moss in there. The tank was cycled using Orange Flame Tetras, which are pretty cool. Lighting: 6 Giesemann Mid-day and 6 AquaFlora, somewhat staggered for "dawn" and "dusk" effects.

More to come a little later.....I've got two more sets of photos.


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## aretreesfree (Jun 19, 2011)

Awsome tank!!! Please share some more info about it!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

This small set of pics is after I received a wonderful anubias package and placed them in there, along with some Rotala Macranda and Vietnam. I also received some Fissidens and Staurogyne species. 10/20/2011, I think. About two days after the previous photos above.

Right Side









Front:









Tried a close up of an Orange Flame Tetra....








....maybe Santa will get me a macro lens??


@Aretreesfree-what would you like to know? Anything specific?


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## aretreesfree (Jun 19, 2011)

Length x width x height, who made it/ where'd you get it? Filtration, lighting. You know, the fun stuff.


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## HolyAngel (Oct 18, 2010)

Nice shots/tank!!

And to answer your question, photobucket automatically downsamples all pics unless you pay them for a premium account. Then they will be HD or whatever quality you took the pics with.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Great looking scape.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

HolyAngel-THANK YOU! That's stupid, but it makes total sense. I just upgraded...no other choice, really. What's the point of taking photos with a pretty nice camera if they just look so-so on here? And thanks for the compliment! 

2in10 and treesarefree-Thank you both....the tank is presently much further along, but you know, it's a journal. I need something to do for tomorrow, which is when I'll post some pics from a few days ago.

Trees-the tank dimensions are 4 ft. Long by 4 ft. Wide by 20 inches Tall (48x48x20); it was a custom build from a shop up in Madison Heights, MI called Great Lakes Aquariums which I have taken with me to St. Louis and now, Nashville. It was very well constructed to have gone through two moves! The lighting was and stand were also custom builds by a buddy of mine; the pendant holds 12 Geisemann bulbs (6 Midday+6 AquaFlora). For now, they are on a 10 hour photoperiod with 30 minutes "rest" about halfway through the cycle to help combat algae until I have enough plant mass in there.

Filtration is two Eheim 2217's.....CO2 is passed through custom built diffusor at about 2 bubbles/sec and introduced through a spraybar.


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## Dave6265 (Nov 18, 2011)

That looks awesome! Driftwood looks good, and I really like the Orange Flame Tetras. I've never seed them around here. 

What are your plans for the tank? What species of fish are you planning on keeping in there?


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks! I hadn't seen them for a long time, and now they have started popping up everywhere around me. Well, this is a journal and the pics that I posted today are from 10/18/2011, so the tank has matured quite a bit since then. I have added Blue Kerri Tetras, snails of various sorts, and about 15 Rainbow Cichlids. I'll post more pictures tomorrow, but here's another Orange Flame shot....it's the best I can do without a Macro Lens, but I thought that it was pretty good: (CLICK IT!)

Orange Flame School


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

After the pictures above, I went through an absolutely horrendous algae cycle. First, I went through the brown algae stage, followed by green water. I few blackout days did clear it up, but it lead to clado formation. Luckily, by then I had a lot of plants mass, ottos, snails, and dosed it with a Ich medicine which (oddly enough) seem to take care of a lot of my remaining algae issues. I do have hair algae which I am dosing with peroxide via syringe; I am slowly winning. Of course, now I am going out of town for a week, so I worry what the tank will look like when I get back. So much work to get it to this point.

So, the tank is probably "mature" at this point. You see in photos below that there are a lot of plant species in there, including some rare anubias and crypts which I am espeically proud of. And probably $300 worth of Hydrocotyle 'Japan' that IS GOING NUTS!! I thinking about just letting it spread and be the carpet plant. I mean, I am not strong enough to combat it, so if I can keep it away from some of my crypts, it can go any where it wants to. The point: I just have to let a few things either grow and split into more groups, or fill in. It is still very much a work in progress.

On that note, too, my next door neighbor is going to help redo the pedestal and the pendant. Originally, my buddy who made both the pedestal and pendant used pressboard where he could. After a few years of Don Abuse and water changes that didn't go so well, the outside pressboard has bubbled, torn, been gouged, and just looks beat up. The guts that support this monster are still in excellent condition....just the outside aethetics.

Anyhow, here are the next set of pics (taken on 12/15/11)

Front:









Right Oblique:









Right Side "close up" or something....:









Right Front Looking Down:









Left Side looking towards the front Side:









Left Side "close up":


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## thrak76 (Aug 3, 2009)

That's an awesome tank! You don't see a tank with that kind of depth too often.


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

Definitely the size/shape of tank that would make a great display in a room.

I like the scaping as well - manages to feel unique.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thank you very much Thrak and Madness!  I felt that it would be a little more original, so I had it custom built. At the time, everything was pretty dominated by big aquariums that were only "meant" to be viewed from the front which is fine, but I felt it was a little too vanilla. In purusing some of my LFS's, I had noticed that the coral tanks were stand along units, and would make awesome planted tanks! So, knowing that I didn't have the know-how to make it viewable from all four sides, which would require all filtration and plumbing to be house in the pedestal and come up through the bottom of the tank and the pendant which would require electrical to run straight into the ceiling, I decided to make it viewable from three sides instead. Three sides is enough, though! 

Madness, it isn't scaped yet. I finally got all of the species I want in there. It is "growing" time right now, and I have to do a lot of trimming and replanting to get the necessary groups. It will be a while before this tank is fully scaped.

Some additional pics-

Another Orange Flame School shot:









Rotala Vietnam:









Hydrocotyle 'Japan' "Field"-This stuff grows and spreads like crazy!!!!:









Another shot....


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## Kworker (Oct 28, 2011)

inspiration.. great tank


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## The Gipper (Sep 9, 2003)

Is the hydrocote Japan a ground cover


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

this is really cool! i love the tank and the scape! its such an unusual tank shape, its AWESOME!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Kworker! It's not there yet....so I guess this is why I decided to post this as a "journal" rather than a completed tank type of thread. It'll be done probably towards the end of February (?) is my guess. Then, I'll keep it like that for a few months, and change it, and so on. The one nice thing about this hobby is that your tank is almost constantly changing and growing; the problems are never the same, and so the rewards are always different too.

The Gipper: it probably is going to be!  More by design than by choice...that stuff spreads so fast and looks so nice that I am thinking about just letting it fill in the rest of the lawn and keep a few spots for other species of ground cover/lawn or for my crypts/ other stuff. It doesn't get really tall under good lighting (about an inch and a half, max); rather, it grows and spreads so quickly that it will send out runners on top of existing plants....kind of like a layering effect. You do have to trim those away, but it's easy to do. Oddly enough, the is the first time that i've had a hydrocotyle that grows well even though the substrate I'm using is a step down from the AquaSoil I had in my last set up in this tank. Strange.

Thanks OrchidMan! I posted too quickly and didn't see your post! I'll have to take some pics of how it sets in the room it's in. Nicely viewable from three sides! Just need the pedestal and pendant exteriors redone as they are becoming a bit of an eyesore and distracting.


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## Alastair-T (Jun 5, 2011)

I can only reiterate. What an awesome tank 


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## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

Off topic a bit, but if you can tolerate an image limit of 250 and a filesize of 1 meg per photo, http://imgur.com/ is a pretty good deal for free. You don't have to resample files larger than 1 meg, as their software will do it for you. A paid account will get you unlimited image limit, more thumbnail sizes, and a max filesize limit of 5 megs (again no resampling necessary on your end). Just thought I'd throw it out there. Oh, and their interface isn't glacially slow like photobucket.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Alastair T; I'm glad you like it so far!

Moose! Thanks for the advice! I will try it out and see how I like it.....Photobucket takes forever!!


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## fusiongt (Nov 7, 2011)

Please zoom out so we can get an idea of how big this really is. Please put a human baby next to it to compare lol


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## Chaos_Being (May 18, 2010)

Wow, what a unique tank! I like the viewpoint, it gives more of the appearance of looking into a large body of water vs. just a slice of it. Those Orange Flame tetras are nice too, I just hope you have better luck with them than I did- I have 3 left of 15 after about 10-12 months (the die-off happened a while ago though, those last 3 have been with me for a while.)


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## [email protected] (Nov 7, 2010)

WoW Awesome Tank


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## thefisherman (Oct 15, 2011)

beautiful tank/setup .... is the color of the water due to the driftwood tanins? 


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Fusion---it isn't that big!  I love your idea though for comparitive studies! It's four feet by four feet by 20 inches tall. Not absurdly massive....my next one I want to make will be six by six by 20 inches tall. But, that won't be for a while. And 36 square feet of tank is a bit much to maintain. HA!! I'll take a few pictures when I get back from my week of vacation up in Michigan to give you a perspective of it's "bigness".

Thanks Chaos! I really like the Flames! They really add a nice contrast of color in there, and have proven very hardy in my tank so far. I think that I've lost one out of my initial 24 I got to help cycle the tank. And you are right: I didn't want to do another "slice of nature" type of tank; I wanted something a bit more than a pretty looking window shot. That isn't meant to be a slam against anyone or any scape; I just got tired of seeing the same thing constantly. You don't see too many tanks out there like mine where you can get multiple true oblique shots.

Liam! Thanks Buddy!! 

Thanks Fisherman! The color is mostly due to the tannins, and the fact that I filter through peat with no carbon. It'll fade over time, but I don't mind it at all...I kind of like the yellow.


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

Very nice looking tank. Do you have a MTS substrate topped with sand?


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## jim lockhart (Apr 26, 2007)

Fascinating tank ! The dimensions are awesome, and remind me of my favorite tank (outside of large public aquariums).

Dolphin Pet Village in Campbell CA, at their original location had a tank in the back of the store that was close to this, although it only had a front view (for customers). this was back in the 80's, and they did their best to keep the tank well planted with many interesting fish. 

Thanks for posting a spectacular tank, and bringing back some good memories. I'm an sfbaaps member let me know if you are looking for anything specific plant wise and I'll see what I can do.

Jim


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## fusiongt (Nov 7, 2011)

crazydaz said:


> Fusion---it isn't that big!  I love your idea though for comparitive studies! It's four feet by four feet by 20 inches tall. Not absurdly massive....


Dude when you use "feet" instead of "inches" - it's massive =) At least for those of us still using inches :biggrin: Look forward to your next tank journal as well.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

ua hua--Thanks!! The substrate is a combo of several different high-nutrient gravels and fine grain gravel....kind of like a "light colored Eco Complete," along with some flourite and kitty litter, with a white sand cap. I loved my AquaSoil in my last set up, but I wanted to go lighter with my substrate this time instead of dark, and I didn't want to cap black or dark brown AS with a white sand.

Hi Jim-I'm happy that you like it and served as a little "blast from the past"!  It's too bad that the Pet Village couldn't take advantage of the dimensions of their system and forced it back into a "picture frame" tank. A tank like this is made to walk around and view from a few angles, you know? Maybe they had to, though....they didn't have the same equipment that we enjoy today? I suppose, too, that the greater the depth, the more they could put in there and captivate the customer's attention; they would have to stare into it for a greater amount of time to figure out all of what was in there. 

Also: I will give you a PM after the holidays to see what SFBAAPS might be able to do to help my cause!  Now THAT is a cool plant group. Lucky!! I am going to Michigan for the Holidays and both my parents and in-laws live in a pre-Stone Age society and refuse to get wifi. I don't think that I'll be able to jump onto the forum until after I return New Year's Eve day. 

Fusion....Ok, I'll take a pic with a two-liter Coke bottle, or a car, or something! LOL!! It's only 27 cubic feet of tank, though, which is big but not nearly as big as they come. Some of these hobbyists here have MASSIVE 300 gallons or higher. Mine is more deceiving than anything else, as doesn't go "taller" or "longer" rather "wider." But hey: I'm glad it has made an impact! 

Take care everyone! I'll be gone for a week! I'll post the state of the tank when I get back, for better or worse!! (Hopefully, not "too much worse".....) Be safe and enjoy Christmas/your Holidays!


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## thefisherman (Oct 15, 2011)

[/QUOTE]Thanks Fisherman! The color is mostly due to the tannins, and the fact that I filter through peat with no carbon. It'll fade over time, but I don't mind it at all...I kind of like the yellow.[/QUOTE]

i was gonna say the tea colored water is the perfect touch that pulls your biotope together, so beautiful cheers! 


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Here is the tank status as of today, 1/10/12. Have started a heavier and more frequent fertilization schedule, and it is starting to pay off. Some algae (GDA) issues, but should disappear as the plant mass grows and out-competes the algae for nutrients. Should be long now, and I should be able to get some excellent growth on my plants where I can top, re-plant, and finally scape the tank I want to. Any thoughts or questions?


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## catchandrelease (Feb 12, 2010)

very natural looking. Great work


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## BrayN (Jan 10, 2012)

Cool, a fellow Tennessean!! And right up the road no less!

I just started my first planted tank, a 10 gallon lol, and let me say what and inspiration this is!! If I didn't already have my 120g set up as a reef I would definitely be making it a Fw planted tank!! Job well done!

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## green_valley (Sep 14, 2011)

WOW, that's an amazing growth you got there. Very cool design as well. SO how long has this been?


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## thefisherman (Oct 15, 2011)

i'm a big fan crazy... thank you for sharing! 


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks for the nice words Fisherman, Green Valley, CatchandRelease, and BrayN!

Green Valley--this tank has been up and running since the first or second week in November, or so. Not too long. I should have planted it more heavily than I did; it would have made a big difference in my algae battles.  I just recently have been able to start dosing ferts the way it needs to be...before, it would have only fed the hundred or so varieties of algae growing in there! 

BrayN! Thanks for introducing yourself! I am new to the area; just moved here from St. Louis a few months ago. I'm flattered that you like the tank, and oddly, I was inspired by corals prop tanks to have my tank fashioned after them. You can do a some nice stuff in a 10gallon, though! Bigger is not better, necessarily! If you ever decide to get out of reef tanks, there is an entire realm that you can explore with planted freshwater!! Also: you should look at joining the local forum www.MCAA.com or musiccitycichlids.proboards.com/index.cgi It is mostly about cichlids, for now, but there is a growing activity on the site for both saltwater tanks and freshwater tanks outside of pure cichlids.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

crazydaz said:


> Any thoughts or questions?


Let it grow in and let it be. Should look pretty intense fully grown.

I am a huge fan of Von Rio Tetras. I have about 25 of them myself and they have funny personalities.

Your stand looks pretty beat up in that one corner there. Is that from water damage?


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Yeah, it is a little beaten up all over the place. My buddy made it out of press board, which in hindsight was a terrible idea. My neighbor is going to help me redo the base and the canopy in a few months when he get tired of his new retirement and needs something to do.  Until then, PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN, and so forth!

Von Rio's are fun to watch. They were always bickering before I added the Rainbow cichlids, but are much more agreeable with one another now! I will be adding another dozen of either them or the blue Kerri's.

Will gladly follow your advice!


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

Sweet tank and dimensions!

Can I ask what you think of the craftsmanship of Great Lakes Aquariums? (considering ordering through them)


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## BrayN (Jan 10, 2012)

Crazy, I Pm'd ya 

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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

BrayN-responded! 

Prototyp3: Frankly, if I could, I would never purchase from anyone else. I have bought three tanks from them, including the customize 200 gallon square, and I've had no problems ever. They are EXTREMELY well made....mine has been though two moves without an issue. The corner bracing has been fantastic. The other two tanks I gave to friends who are still using them to this day....they have to be at least several years old by now. I bought a 40 gallon cube from them, and love it. Had one of my best tanks in that one:


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## ucantimagine (Jan 8, 2012)

Awesome tank! Those are some lucky fish.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Yeah....they are pretty spoiled.


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## thrak76 (Aug 3, 2009)

Wow, again! The tank is really looking great.


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## The Gipper (Sep 9, 2003)

Been thinking of ordering a 195 from Great lakes Aquarium, have been googling for comments about the quality - glad to come across this post.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

thanks thrak! Again! 

gipper--I think that they are (at least "were") great! It used to be a father and son duo that ran the shop, and they built the tanks on-site. Call them to see if they still do this. They used to make some very nice cubes. If you can, it's worth the drive to check them out.


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## The Gipper (Sep 9, 2003)

_its still father son, I've been trading emails. I wanna get a starfire rimless from them. I'm curious about the tirangular glass "braces" on the top of your tank in the corners, is that standard or is that something you asked them for? Is that what they call euro bracing?_

_Thanks in advance_


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

This is Euro Bracing:









All four "sides" have bracing that kind of wraps around the top of the tank to prevent the tank from flexing and bending due to the weight of the water. I have corner bracing, which I had specifically asked them to do for me because I didn't want a brace running down the center of the tank. I knew that it would be less aesthetically pleasing, especially knowing that the tank was going to be open top with pendant lighting.

It was extra, but well worth the cost. My philosophy is that it is probably cheaper in the long run if you make an investment in a quality product up front. This tank should last me forever. At least, until a get a 6 x 6 x 20inches tall.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

*Crazydaz Square 200 Gallon-2/1/2012 PIC HEAVY*

Been so incredibly busy lately running around my six state territory that I haven't had a chance to post any updates of the tank. Anybody hiring in the Nashville area, by chance? 

Anyhow, things have improved with the tank. I've added more plants and seen some excellent results, so long as I trim the tank by "thirds" every week instead of all at once. I've also added hygoriza aristata which is a fast growing floating plant to help absorb extra nutrients, and added some ferts to the substrate in the form of osmocote capsules. Algae is not completely gone, but it has gone down very dramatically over the past two weeks.

New pics as of 2/1/12:

Back Left side-









Left Side-









A little bit closer-









Some crypts-









Barclaya-









Left Oblique-









Front-









Front Left-









Front Right-









Limnophilia Aromatica-









Right Oblique-









Hyg. Aristata-









Top of one stem-









Emerging Amcella Repens-









Alpha Male Rainbow-









Close Up-


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

amazing tank!


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## ucantimagine (Jan 8, 2012)

1 of the very best tanks on the whole forum IMO.


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## thefisherman (Oct 15, 2011)

crazy as always.... spectacular! 


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Orchidman, Ucantimagine, and thefisherman!!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

I was somewhat surprised today to find that a breeding pair of Rainbow Cichlids had formed. Evidently, they are substrate spawners. Which is kind of annoying if you have a planted tank. Oh well, not much I can do. I suppose that I am surprised because I tried to overstock the tank to prevent this from happening. I didn't want the fish to pair off and beat the crap out of each other, but I have to say that what I've read about Rainbows have been mostly true: they have a nice temperament. They chase, but only for about a foot, and it is all for show. But they will even go after the tetras!

A few more pics to add to the ones that I took and posted yesterday; they are in "high def," so if you want to click on them, you should get a closer view:

The "breeding area" is between some driftwood and some Ludwigia Grandulosa. If you look closely, you can see the pair:









Better Shot of the pair in their chosen spot:









The male has very dark blue pectoral fins and the female is very dark blue on the entire lower half of her body in the background:









Another angle:









Look at the somewhat striking contrast from the dominant male as compared to some of his other tank mates:









Picture of the female alone:









Here is a picture of the two, female on the left. This would have been a great shot, but the female is so shy that she only darts around now. But, it gives you an idea of her stark coloration!









Nice shot of the male, alone:


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Update--2/10/12

Was able to get some time with the tank yesterday when I got back from New Orleans. Things are looking pretty good! And, to my surprise, my Rainbow Cichlid pair did have a spawn. Saw a few wigglers when I got back. Not too sure if I'll have survivors, but it is always nice to see that the fish have taken to their little world at least.

Off to the Cincinnati area next week. Then, Lexington and Louisville the following week. Then Arkansas, then St. Louis, then Columbia, MO, then.......and so on.  

Anyhow, new pics:

Limnophilia Aromatica. I've NEVER been able to get it to be this red. Not sure what I'm doing differently, but it looks nice:

























Tried to take a few shots with the flash on....somebody made a comment on a different site as to how clear the water is in my tank considering how "wide" it is. Here, you can clearly see my armoire on the other side:









Pristella Tetras with the flash and some different settings:









Front shot with Flash:









Regular shots.....left side "bottom to top" angle:









Left Oblique:









Close up Left Oblique:









Kind of a neat shot:









Two crypts, if you look closely.....I think that it is Green Gecko and Rosenvig:









Right Side with the "parents":









Back of the "right side":









Front of the "right side":









That's it for now! Will post more in between work trips!


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## pandacory (Apr 18, 2011)

Like everyone else, I am in awe!

Overall, awesome job. Great proportions, colors, textures and best of all everything looks healthy!

I think you made a good choice by making it three side viewable. A center overflow may have been harder to hide and limited the amount of open lawn space you could have.

It is only missing 2 things to make it my favorite:
1. Discus
2. Led lighting Hung high to make it more pond/tank like than it already is

Though the discus would probably throw off the great proportions you've got, and I've heard mixed reviews about Acclimating plants to the higher temps...

Out of curiousity, how tall does the tank stand, how tall are you, and do you have to use a step stool to service? I'm always curious what kind of circus tricks are necessary to service these big tanks.

Also, what is your circulation like? I didn't notice any power heads, so is it pretty calm/still water in there?


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## thefisherman (Oct 15, 2011)

i love your updates crazy  whats the green center plant its gorgeous! The limno looks outstanding.

it must be amazing to be away from your tank only to come home to that beastly tank of yours, i'm jealous lol. wow bro you move around a lot.. what do you do that brings you all over the map if i may ask 


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

Took 5-10 minutes to load alll those pics, but well worth it. Beautiful tank


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## msawdey (Apr 6, 2009)

this tank is spectacular... it has given me something to strive for when i finally settle in my life

that being said....... i have to be the jerk to ask this, but now that it is fully up and running.... anyway you would be willing to ballpark what this whole thing cost... i have to admit, im realllllly curious.....


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Good Morning! Lot's of replies today!

Panda--Thanks for the compliments! I considered doing discus, but I wanted something smaller and a bit more hardy. They are an expensive choice and I would rather lose $100 worth of fish than a few fish that cost about $100 each. They are beautiful, though...I have to agree with you there! I have seen a lot of plants die or melt some when raising the water temp to treat for the occasional ick, so that could be an issue.

In terms of LED's, I had also considered redoing the lighting as well. A few problems with that: I have nobody to help me (I am NOT good with my hands....I'm in sales, for God's sake!  ), they are expensive to buy as turn key systems, the spectrum isn't that great yet, and are prone to being spotty. With the current pendant, which a friend bought, I just replace the bulbs. I'll probably make the switch someday, but I've had pretty good success with the current system. The next step will be to put the pendant on a track so I can raise and lower it at will.

The tank with the stand is about four feet high; I am 6'4" and don't have much of a problem reaching in anywhere in the tank.  Water circulation is provided by two Eheim 2217's and a needle wheel pump for my CO2; it is all directed to the front-center part of the tank and did create a pretty strong current. However, I am considering adding a powerhead or two to either of the back-sides by the heaters to get a little more flow in there. My last system had the needle wheel pump and a Fluval X5; fish were getting blown around everywhere if the Fluval was opened full-bore. It is a bit more chill in this system. For the moment, everything seems happy!

Hey Fisherman!--Thanks Buddy!  I think that the green plant you are thinking about is the Hygro Kompacta (?). Correct me if I am wrong.....I don't have too many green plants in there!

I sell antibodies to research and biotech accounts for flow cytometers within a six state territory. It's a nightmare, and I'm trying to find something that will keep me at home so my wife and I can start a family. One of those "I love what I do and meeting people, but HATE the overnight travel" types of jobs. It just keeps me away for too many nights during an average week.

Kwheeler91--Thanks, and I'm sorry! I tried changing the title of this thread to warn people about the pics, but I haven't been able to do so successfully. I haven't figured that out yet. If anyone knows how to do this, let me know...I certainly don't want to annoy anyone!

msawdey--Thank you very much!! It's my "Zen Time" when I do have a chance to work on it! It takes a little work, but it is really worth it!

Costs.....the tank was customed made, and was a little over $1000. The lighting and stand were also custom made, but I was able to offset some of the costs by trading in my old 100 gallon system to the my buddy who built the two pieces. I would say that the pendant, stand, and 24 Giesemann's cost another $1000. I dropped probably $400 in plants, and about $200 in fish. Filtration was another $200, and miscellaneous (ferts, CO2 tank and regulator, needle wheel pump, food, etc) was probably another $800. So, I am guessing about $2600 for the current tank set up. (....-ish)

It's one of those things: don't think about it because if you did, you would never do it. It's a bit pricey up front to buy these things, but has been worth it's weight in gold.


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

Your tank is looking really good. My only complaint is all your beautiful pictures take so long to load. LOL


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## thefisherman (Oct 15, 2011)

hey crazy.. its like a dark green two or three thin leaves kinda like a star... it looks awesome dude!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Ua Hua--thanks, and I'm sorry! I guess that one thing I've always appreciated on some other threads in the past was "big pictures."

Fisherman--I think you may be looking at Eichornia Diversifolia maybe?


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

i like the big pictures, worth the extra wait  and for me its only a few seconds


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thank Orchidman!!  I hoped somebody would like them!! I did notice that there is some lag in loading them, especially for those people using a tablet computer. It does take a little while. On either my desktop/laptop, it only takes a few seconds. On my tablet, it can take half a minute or so.

Found another breeding pair of rainbows today who spawned. That's two pair now that are currently spawning.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Just some general pics I took this week...




























Right after a water change and trim....you can see the net I use in the top right 









Left Oblique:









Right Side:









Right Oblique:


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## tharsis (Oct 9, 2009)

beautiful tank! One of my favorites on this site for sure!


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## FishFarmer (Feb 8, 2007)

SUCH a cool tank! I'm sure you've mentioned this already, but I haven't been able to find it--but what are the dimensions of the tank?

Edit: never mind, I found it


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## mountaindew (Dec 10, 2008)

This is very nice!
Large tanks with nice depth just pop!
mD


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## CPD (Feb 7, 2012)

:O just finished reading this thread start to finish and wow. I'm in awe. 


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## shortsboy (Feb 6, 2011)

Really is an amazing tank. Any chance you could draw up a map of all the plant species you have in there?


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thank you for the comments everyone!!!

Tharsis! Thanks Buddy! That means a lot because there are sooooo many good tanks and talented people here on this site!

FishFarmer--No worries....I should just repeat that every page somewhere anyways...  4'Lx4'Wx20"T.

MD--Colors are popping a bit more than I had expected, and I'm not really sure why. Similar ferts, lighting, and so on in my last set up that I had with this tank. Just getting better (and odd) results. My Eichhonria Diversifolia is strange....half the stems are green, as you would expect, and the other half have turned reddish-purple(?), and my L. Aromatica is a dark purple now. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/plants/165819-yowza-what-heck-going-my-l.html

CPD--you are too kind! I hope that the read was worth it!  It gets a bit wordy. HA!

Shortsboy--Thank you! I am no good with MS Paint, though. And I haven't taken the time to list out what is currently in there, which I normally would do. I will try to get that done sometime this week.


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## thefisherman (Oct 15, 2011)

you know i have a secret love affair with your tank... don't tell my wife! :O


- thefisherman


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

It's OK, Bro. What happens on TPT.net stays on TPT.net......your secret is safe!


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## CPD (Feb 7, 2012)

except for the swap and shop... that stuff comes back with you.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

CPD==I know! Why is it that whenever I want to buy a few plants for the tank, I have to act all secretive in front of my wife?? It is almost like I'm having some sort of affair. If I get "caught," I act guilty as sin and get embarrassed. I have no idea why, either. She's never prevented me from buying anything for my tank.

I have a problem.


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## CPD (Feb 7, 2012)

Hahaha same story with my gf... "you bought those whhhhyyy?!" "Uhhhuhhhuhhh!!! They look cool?!"


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## shortsboy (Feb 6, 2011)

My wife always collects the mail, so there's never a chance for the plants to make it into the tank before she sees them. She already complains that I spend too much time/money on fish, but as you can tell, that's really stopping me...


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Put in 10 bucephalandra into the tank tonight, added a few powerheads to increase the flow, and mowed down everything. Oh, and added a really nice crypt....keei 'Jambusan,' I think. Added several more pieces of driftwood too. Took a little over four hours, and I am burned out. I'll get some pictures up tomorrow. Very expensive week for the tank, but well worth it. I think that I am supposed to be getting a huge sag and another crypt tomorrow as well (or at least "soon"). Tank is progressing!! I think all I need now are a few more anubias species to wedge in between some pieces of driftwood, and maybe a specimen here or there from time to time.

I didn't tell the wife either....she's out of town at the moment, and I used that to my tactical advantage.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

That's a cool tank and the colors are great, there is another member (seaslug, I think) that has a 140 with the overflow in the center and it's so cool because if you plan it right it can be a 4 side center piece for the room and the fish can swim in one direction for 16 feet before they pass the same plant again.

The light fixture is enormous and you definitely have a cool tank.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

Sorry I mis quoted her tank is a 100 gallon but here's a link if you are interested, Seaslugs 100 gallon.


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## looking4roselines (Mar 28, 2008)

crazydaz said:


> I didn't tell the wife either....she's out of town at the moment, and I used that to my tactical advantage.


You are a funny man. But this is how we plant geeks roll.
I am glad you like the plants and I would love to see your new scape with them.


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## thefisherman (Oct 15, 2011)

i'm jealous you planted such a great assortment of the hottest species and have room to spare! i think when i send my wife abroad (for her mom's bday) for 3.5 weeks in april... oh yes, ita custom 100g long time baby!! 


- thefisherman


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

150EH---I checked out Seaslug's 100; definitely nice! Just keep in mind that the fish can also swim 16 feet in my tank before passing the same plant again!  For me, three sides is hard enough! YIKES! And to be honest, I don't know how I would handle have a center overflow; I wouldn't want anyone to see it sticking out like a sore thumb. She does a nice job using floaters to kind of cover it!

l4roselines! You bet Dude! I'll take some better pics when the rest of the plants recover from the trim job I gave them. The buces need a little time to re-straighten out to the light anyhow. Stay tuned! Those will probably be around in a few week's time. Thank you again!!

Fish--I would totally recommend doing it!  What can she do once you have bought it, set it up, and planted it? You will be in the doghouse for a few days, but she can't stay mad at you for long because you have a hobby, you know? 

Also, the buces don't take up too much room, and the driftwood was looking a bit bare. Still plenty of room, though, to add more buces, anubias, and so on.

Annoyingly, the Rainbow Cichlids are picking my hydrocotyl 'Japan' to pieces, so I may need to re-think my ground cover. I do have Rotala Mexicana that does exceedingly well in my tank, so I might just that that go crazy. Trimming that will be a HUGE pain in the butt, but I don't know what else to do. I'm open to suggestions. Attempts of feeding them leaf lettuce/Spring Mix and zucchini have not helped....they eat them, and resume picking at the hydrocotyl.

Let me know if there are any ideas!

I promised pics of the new Bucephalandras. You will have to excuse me...some of the photos turned out OK, others.....not so much. Sorry! 

Many thanks to Looking4Roselines and Speedie408! 

Buce 'Belindae':








In the tank:









Buce 'Red Vein':








In the tank:









Buce 'Shine Blue':









Buce 'Shine Green': (awful picture! Sorry)









Buce 'Horned Leaf' Daerah Sanggau:








In the Tank:









Buce 'Titan II' Daerah Sanggau:









Buce 'Sexy Pink' Daerah Sanggau: (probably the best shot)









Crypt Keei 'Jambusan':


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## they call me bruce (Feb 13, 2011)

luv the titan 2 and sexy pink the larger buc's are great glad i found this link The is a great lead on the tank builder Im goin to let them build me a six footer all glass is awesome
How many t5's is over that tank?


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## thefisherman (Oct 15, 2011)

i'm so jealous!  beautiul plants bro congratz 


- thefisherman


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

Awesome


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## shortsboy (Feb 6, 2011)

Have you tried Staurogyne species for groundcover?


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Bruce--Thanks!!  Who's building you the 6x6? Are they doing assembly at your house? That would be very, very difficult to transport, lift, etc. If you do, make sure that you keep the overall height of the tank a bit shorter so you will be able to reach in to do maintenance!! You don't want to have to use a step stool!! What type of lighting are you going to use?

PS--I have twelve Giesemann's T5's in the pendant.

Fish--Thank you, but congratulate me if I can get them to grow! They arrived in great condition...all I did was tie them and put into the tank. The real trick is see if they survive and spread! Keep your fingers crossed; I'll give you a daughter plant if I can get them to grow. At the rate they grow, that will probably be sometime in the Fall! 

Besides, you have a pretty nice tank yourself there, sir!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Speedie---Thanks to you!!! I'll try to take some more respectable pictures of your plants, which is surprisingly difficult without a macro lens!

Shorts--I did, but they pecked that to death too. I think that they started out dining on the staurogyne before moving to the hydrocotyl. Oh, and they also like Amcella Repens, Hygro Kompakta, and Hyptis Lorenza leaves too. Everything else, they "leaf" alone. Never touched a crypt, rotala, ludwigia, other hygros, and don't seem interested in the buce (which, thank God, have thick, tough leaves!). They don't seem interested in MM, but it tends to grow well for a while, then turn ugly.


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## they call me bruce (Feb 13, 2011)

sorry not a 6x6; 6x 24 x 20 something --omg can you imagine a 6x6 yahoo!
great lakes-- isnt that who made yours?
Do u think its worth gettin the starfire glass?
I designed a led light on this forum with lots of help I hope it works allright it will be my first build
Im almost done with my honey doo list --then its tank gone wild!!!!


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## they call me bruce (Feb 13, 2011)

ps I used your tank as wallpaper on my wifes computer but she just changed it LOL


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Yeah, Great Lakes Aquariums made mine.....The option to do starfire would have doubled the cost, and I really think my tank is fine without it. I'm sure that those who have starfire would attest to it's beauty and clarity as being unequaled, and I'm sure that's true. But, if you've never had it before, than you don't know what your missing, right? So for me, it's another expensive bell&whistle, and frankly, I would much rather have more tank to play with and good viewing quality than smaller tank with great viewing quality. Just my opinion though!

Good luck with your LED system!!! I'm following LED's with great curiosity; I would love to redo my lighting someday with LED's, but I am unsure of my building skills (I'm in sales, for crying out loud!), and I've heard mixed results. The spectrum isn't "quite there yet," "spottiness," and expense are among some of the negatives I've heard. Let me know how it goes, and whether somebody like me could pursue this as a DIY or not. 

Too bad about your wife changing her background AWAY from my tank!  You can tell that she hurt my feelings. LOL!!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

PS--Bruce, 6'xwhatever is plenty big enough! I was originally going to have this tank 6'x6'x20", but they said they would have to come to my place to build it which wasn't going to be possible. Maybe someday.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Gorgeous tank, love the size


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

thanks, 2in10!!


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## daphilster08 (Oct 21, 2009)

Just read through this whole thread! Absolutely loved every second of it! Great looking tank! Keep up the good work!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Philster! The tank is getting there! I have more plants coming this week to start filing in some of the holes and gaps. The progression has been nice, and I have a nice mix of 'common' and 'rare' plant species in there. Need a few more rare crypts and buces which I will try to get over the coming months. After this week, most of the "common's" will be in. I am getting a saggitaria subgulata that is pretty wide-leaved from a trader who collected it in Mississippi a few months ago. I'm interested to see how that looks! Otherwise, I have anubias, Phillipine Java Fern, Rotala Colorata, some persicaria species, ludwigia, and one or two others coming in. The tank is beginning to look borderline "too busy," so I hope this doesn't push it over the edge.

And, I've decided that it is too exhausting to keep up with the Rainbows picking out the hydrocotyle. I have a bit of MM that I'll let grow out, and let the Rotala Mexicana creep as it wants to. Those will be the foreground.

The breeding pairs of cichlids are spawning almost every week now. Ridiculous!

Will try to get some pictures up next weekend....most all of the plants are recovering from a major trim. Still have some more trimming to do too! IT NEVER ENDS!!!


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## CPD (Feb 7, 2012)

Pictures!!! 


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## thefisherman (Oct 15, 2011)

buce buce buce buce! gooo buce! 

thats the best imitation of a schoolgirl cheer i can do man.... cuz thats how i feel when i see your tank :O


- thefisherman


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

CPD--Maybe this Friday.........everything is hacked right now and doesn't look like anything special. Needs to recover for a bit!

Fisherman--I appreciate your enthusiasm, but the cheerleader imitation paints a stark picture in my mind!  I'm interested in seeing how your tank grows over the coming weeks....you will definitely notice faster growth. I remember when I first started pressurized CO2 that I was a bit surprised!


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## CPD (Feb 7, 2012)

crazydaz said:


> CPD--Maybe this Friday.........everything is hacked right now and doesn't look like anything special. Needs to recover for a bit!


sounds good! Pretty stoked to see how it looks. 


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Took a few pictures of what the tank looked like yesterday post-hack, below.

I did receive two packages today: one was some Persicaria species that I received from Zachary which look great; the other was some crypt walkeri and a native sagittaria Platyphylla I received from a Mod on a different site. For now, all plants are being "staged" in high light parts of the tank until they gain some height and will be moved to their "final" places. I will have some more packages arriving tomorrow.

Good news....I have new leaves on all of my buce's and my crypt Keei 'Jambusan'! I also have runner coming from my Crypts Ferruginea too! Good stuff!

In any event, here are the pics from yesterday:

Rear Left:









Front:









Right Oblique:









Right Side:


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## CPD (Feb 7, 2012)

Absolutely stunning man. What camera rig are you set up with?


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

LOL! That was quick CPD!

No rig...just a Canon Rebel XS EO5. It's a good camera, even if it is a few years old now. I just use the lense it came with. Most of the time, I shoot with the camera in hand. On rare occasions, I will get my telescope tripod and use that to help steady the camera.

So, nothing special. If I had the time, I would try getting a macro lens and maybe a bounce box. But, as I am currently on the road four days a week, I just don't have the energy to do that much outside of normal maintenance and pruning. Maybe if I get a position that will have me be at home more often, I'll seriously consider doing some upgrading on the equipment.


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## CPD (Feb 7, 2012)

Hahaha one of the luxuries of having an iPhone  and the canon rebel is an excellent camera. And I shoot with both canon and Nikon and the macro lens is great but to drop $700 on it might not be worth it IMO. 


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

Looking good, Don! Glad to hear the plants arrived to you in good shape! Sorry I didn't have more Praetermissa to spare.


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## looking4roselines (Mar 28, 2008)

Beautiful tank. I liked your old setup shown at apc but this is even better


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

thank you Zach! I'm looking forward to seeing how things convert to submersed growth and grow. Should be colorful and add some additional textures in there!

thanks L4R! I think I've had better luck with this one, but I have a more interesting selection of species in there, especially the rares!


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

I really do love this tank. Everything from the dimensions to the choice of fish is unique. Is that hygro kompact in the middle of the tank.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

thank you ua hua! The Rainbow Cichlids are a bit more uncommon, but the tetras are fairly common....pristellas, orange flames, and blue kerri's aren't too hard to come by. I'm glad you like it so far!

yeah....I have three hygro kompact in there. The one in the middle is getting pretty non-kompact though. It may have to be removed or relocated.


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

Yeah I was referring to your rainbow cichlids not the tetras. I'm a huge fan of dwarf cichlids. I have been wanting to get some apisto panduro for my tank but don't want to get rid of my roselines yet.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

apistos are great, but the only drawback is that they don't live for very long...maybe two years?? They are also a bit pricey. I wanted to try something different....it was either these or altums. I would love to add more fish, but I'm out of ideas...

suggestions?


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## thefisherman (Oct 15, 2011)

crazy your tank is awesome... i'm crying inside. i'm cryin and i belon to a knitting circle, there i said it! go buce! :O


- thefisherman


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

fisherman, you too crazy!  lol!


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## So_Fishy (Jan 16, 2012)

Just beautiful!!


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

I wish I had your dimensions . The tank looks Great!


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## thefisherman (Oct 15, 2011)

crazydaz said:


> fisherman, you too crazy!  lol!


just a tad...only when i'm off my meds or drinking Jameson :O


- thefisherman


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## manualfocus (Jun 15, 2011)

Great looking setup! Your Limnophilia Aromatica is the most red I've seen.


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## 1aqumfish (Apr 19, 2009)

I just read the whole thread great tank.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Speedie---I wish I had your plants!!!  Thanks....the tank is always evolving! This set up has been more fun than anything. It's work, but my last set up I think I just took it too seriously. An algae problem was somehow the end of the world, or when my UG lawn melted I would seriously p-$ssed off for days. Sure, there are annoyances that pop up from time to time, but it's to be expected, and there isn't much that truly bothers me about dealing with issues. 

Your buces are doing VERY nicely in this set up! I'm thrilled! I would love to see what you could do with a tank like mine Bro! I'm sure it would be absolutely stellar!

Fish!---You crack me up Buddy! I'm glad that you like it so far! Love your comments! 

Thanks ManualFocus!---I don't know what I've done differently, but I think someone suggested that my Hygoriza floaters are really acting like a severe nutrient sponge, and kicking my nitrates ultra-low which may be why the Aromatica is going dark purple. I'm having similar issues with my Eichhornia Diversifolia, too. It could be the Osmocote tabs, too. Either way, I'm not complaining!

1aqumfish--Thank for reading it! I'm happy that you liked the thread well enough to read the whole thing! 

Hoping for some pretty rockin' pictures in about two-three weeks! Everything should be nicely growing and adapted to my tank's conditions by then. We shall see!


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## they call me bruce (Feb 13, 2011)

guess what they just told me the freight to ship a tank now is over 500.00!!!
this is nuts DRill Baby Drill!!!


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## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

they call me bruce said:


> guess what they just told me the freight to ship a tank now is over 500.00!!!
> this is nuts DRill Baby Drill!!!


I'm drilling! I promise.


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

Might be cheaper to drive up there to get it.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Not to Michigan! You would be looking at renting a UHaul, paying for gas, food, and hotel rooms. That would be about the same (at best) in cost, if not more.

It's a one-time expense. How badly do you want the tank? That's the real question....we didn't get into this hobby because it's cheap!


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

If you have a truck big enough or a trailer to pull might not be as bad. Then again, I live in northern ohio and I wouldnt want to drive up there


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Yeah, Bro! You have it a bit easier....pretty much a straight shot up I-75.....the actual shop is less than half mile from I-75 (if memory serves me correctly). Anyhow, it is pretty easy.

My tank was way too big for an SUV.....we had to rent a UHaul and set it on old sofa cushions. Then, we had to carry it up three flights of stairs to set it in my apartment overnight so we could take down the stairs again the very next day so the movers could crate it for the move to St. Louis. It was a very PAINFUL weekend! You couldn't pay me enough to do that again.


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

Wazzup, crazy? Just figured I'd stop in and say hey.
How's the Persicaria doing?


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Dude! Zach, they are both doing great; I just split the Kawagoneum and tripled it. It resorted back to it's submersed form within two days...ridiculously fast! Nice fuscia color now!

The Praeter. is doing well....little algae on the bottom leaves, but it has decided to creep, and the top four inches is getting some really nice color to it. I'll probably top it next weekend and get rid of the nasty bottom.

Thanks for asking, and thank you again for them....they are doing wonderfully!  I'll get some pictures up later next week.


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## they call me bruce (Feb 13, 2011)

hey crazy did you use their overflows? how many inflows and out flows do you think i should get?
Hey daximus nice AR


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

crazydaz said:


> Dude! Zach, they are both doing great; I just split the Kawagoneum and tripled it. It resorted back to it's submersed form within two days...ridiculously fast! Nice fuscia color now!
> 
> The Praeter. is doing well....little algae on the bottom leaves, but it has decided to creep, and the top four inches is getting some really nice color to it. I'll probably top it next weekend and get rid of the nasty bottom.
> 
> Thanks for asking, and thank you again for them....they are doing wonderfully!  I'll get some pictures up later next week.


Awesome, dude! I was hoping they would convert well for you!

Nice, I actually haven't grown either on them in my submersed tanks, so I'm excited to see them in your tank!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Bruce--no, I didn't get their overflows....the reasoning was that if, for some reason, the "front" of the tank got scratched, I wanted the option to be able to turn it around 180 degrees and use the "back" as the "front" or a non-scratched side without having to worry about the orientation of the overflows.

Zach---yeah, they kicking some butt! I hope to be able to get pics up late this coming week, if the tank is ready. They're doing suberb!! It helps getting your plants from a reputable source though.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

I was getting a little concerned about the flow in my tank, so I added two Koralia's to the tank. I have much better flow, but it must of stirred up some sort of nutrient load because I've had some annoying algae issues the past few weeks. I'm starting to re-gain the advantage again...though I had to shorten the duration of my burst photoperiod. All in all, save for a few algae-covered leaves, things are going well! The Persicaria species I received last week are looking nice and colorful! I did move the driftwood piece that was in the "front left" area of the tank to the "right back" part of the tank to open up more room for the crypts. I like the move myself, and the driftwood looks great in it's new location!! Chalk full of anubias nana!!

I did get some new plants in recently, and am expecting a few more stems of Hygro Bold and some Starougyne from Tom Barr....though I'm uncertain as to what kind, exactly. Looked nice...thought I'd try it. That's how it usually goes anyways, right? 

Also, I am trying some root tabs from Dogfish. He sent me a nice package yesterday, and I placed them around my crypts, and an odd few around a few of my hygros on the "Left" side in the back.

*I would like to make this disclaimer: The people that sent me root tabs know that there are other traders/business people that also sent me root tabs!!! However, this thread is NOT in any way, shape, or form to be used to promote any specific person's product! The results are what they are, and ONLY for my information. Ego-bashing is not a goal! I will let the results speak for themselves, and will provide feedback privately!*

That said, here's the tank shots--

Left Side:









Left Oblique:









Right Side:









Right Oblique:









Crypt Affinis "Pahang Barat" Metallic Red (left) Crypt Legori (Right):









Crypt "Green Gecko":









Crypt "Bukit Ibam":









Crypt Keei "Jambusan":









Crypt Bullosa "Bario":









Buce "Belindae" with flower stalk coming up! This buce flowers quite frequently!:









Buce "Red Gaia": Already sending roots into the substrate!









Buce "Velvet Leaf 4": Sent up a few new leaves....received these about a week ago.









Front Left:









Front Right:









Front:









Questions/comments always welcome!! Thanks!


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

Dude, your tank is looking SWEET!!!! I hope my upcoming 120 will look half as nice. Is that my persicaria towards the middle of your tank? It looks amazing! I'll definitely be using it in my new scape if I can get it to look like that.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Hi Zach! Thanks a lot! Yes, that is the Kawagoneum in the front. The placement is probably temporary, but it sure looks nice! The Praetermissa looks good, but has a little way to go...hasn't really colored up the way I would like it to yet. I'm surprised about how it has grown! Very lateral! It has virtually not grown vertically at all. Is this the way it grows for you submersed?

Anyhow, any of your Persicaria species are quite stunning, and among my personal faves!  I am thinking about adding some 'Sao Paulo,' but it's actually fairly expensive. Which is odd....I used to be able to get it several years ago for about a buck a stem. Must not be as popular nowadays, and harder to get a hold of.


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

crazydaz said:


> Hi Zach! Thanks a lot! Yes, that is the Kawagoneum in the front. The placement is probably temporary, but it sure looks nice! The Praetermissa looks good, but has a little way to go...hasn't really colored up the way I would like it to yet. I'm surprised about how it has grown! Very lateral! It has virtually not grown vertically at all. Is this the way it grows for you submersed?
> 
> Anyhow, any of your Persicaria species are quite stunning, and among my personal faves!  I am thinking about adding some 'Sao Paulo,' but it actually fairly expensive. Which is odd....I used to be able to get it several years ago for about a buck a stem. Must not be as popular nowadays, and harder to get a hold of.


Nice, I really like it where it is actually! In my emersed the Praetermissa never grows vertical, I've never actually grown it submersed.

I've got a single stem of 'Sao Paulo' growing out in my emersed. Once I propagate it enough I can probably get the price to drop.


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

Your tank is looking very good. Definitely one of my top 5 favs on this site.


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## looking4roselines (Mar 28, 2008)

Thats a colorful tank. You're really good at bringing out the red in your plants.

If I had known that you needed some sao paulo sooner, I would have sent you some. I had an entire corner covered in sao paulo emerged in my 90g. I intended to float these to block off some of the light from the MH but they became invasive. I sent a quarter of it to a good friend and trashed the remaining. If you really want it, I can ask him to see if he still have it and shoot some over to you.


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## .Mko. (Sep 23, 2010)

I'm in awe of all the beautiful colors. Great crypt species you got in there too. Beautiful dimensions too great job!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Ua Hua--Wow, thank you! That is a really nice compliment considering the huge pool of talent here on this site! I'm happy that you like it!

Xue--Thank you for saying so! I have a ton of iron both in the substrate and water column, and I try to dose extra phosphorus if I can. It is a fine line between bringing out the reds without causing an algae outbreak some times. Usually, I have to settle for "both"!  

Too bad about the 'Sao Paulo'! It would make a nice addition to the tank, but I'm sure that I'll be OK without it for a bit. Zach said he would try to prop some. Finding it isn't the issue, but some offers I had to buy it were a bit too pricey, IMO. I don't mind waiting for it!  I do appreciate the offer, though, buddy!

.Mko.--Thanks for the compliment!! I'm pretty happy with the growth and color, and the dimensions of the tank really do allow me to enjoy more aspects of the system then a more "traditional" type of system. 

The crypts are wonderful, too.....thanks mostly due to Looking4Roselines!! Aside from a few odd Wendtii's I've had in the past, I've never really kept crypts before. I always considered them to be a little boring. Ever since I've "returned" to the hobby and checked out some of the emerged crypt threads, my interest has sparked considerably. It always helps to start with a high quality plant specie too, and Xue sends me some pretty remarkable species in mint condition upon arrival! So far, it's been very rewarding to keep these crypts and buces!


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

This isn't an aquarium. It's a mini indoor eco system! Such a nice footprint, love how it's filled in.


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

Still so VERY jealous of your tank dimensions man. 

Looks great!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Prototyp3--Thanks man! It doesn't feel so "mini" if you've been trimming it, and it's a bit more demanding of my attention than I thought it would be. I'm happy to see that most people view it favorably!  It helps make it worth it!

Nick--I'm tellin' you, you need to get one custom built! IT would be amazing to see what people would be able to do with this type of tank. It's pricey, but it's been worth every single dime I've spent! I think that you would be surprised at how well you could make your scapes look...I've been pretty happy. It is so much easier just simply having the needed depth without having to try to make the tank "look" deep, you know?


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Pretty awesome that I learned today that I don't have Rotala Mexicana Goias like I had thought. :angryfire Turns out that my creeping Rotala is "Colorata" that is creeping due to the high light intensity:


















I do have a source for the "real stuff" hopefully in a few weeks. Snapped a nice pic of my L. Senegalensis:


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## thefisherman (Oct 15, 2011)

prototyp3 said:


> This isn't an aquarium. It's a mini indoor eco system! Such a nice footprint, love how it's filled in.


its not a tank... its an ADVENTURE! 


- thefisherman


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Fish--Nice to see you, buddy!  Is work calming down for you yet?

I tell you: that's pretty accurate sometimes. Trimming was an adventure today...took two hours, and I only did one side of the tank. Well, I didn't "just trim" either, to be fair. Added some root tabs, did some additional maintenance, and so on....back was a little sore after today's "session." Added some hydrothrix from BigStick and some Starougyne from Plantbrain too...looks pretty nice! Hoping the cichlids leave them alone! I alsos thinned out some of the Hygro Compact to create more of a "boarder" between the stem rows and the creeping Rotala Colorata. I hope that it will look nice.

I will try to get a plant list in place between now and the end of the weekend.


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## thefisherman (Oct 15, 2011)

what kind of starogyne...repens? i could've given you a bunch i got from tom. i'm growing them both emersed and submersed... 4frrreeeee 











- thefisherman


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

D'Oh!  Oh well! I'm happy that I bought mine from Tom!  LOL! They look great!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Should be getting some additional plants this week (Persicaria 'Sao Paulo' and Lagenandra Thwaitesii). I've had to resort to putting glasses upside down in the tank to protect certain plants from being ripped up by the Rainbow Cichlids. I think that I'll try some night fishing to get them out of there. Fish traps end up getting the tetras or SAE's in there, so the RC's don't even want to enter the trap because it is too crowded. Any other ideas on how to get these rascals out of the tank?

In the meantime, some shots of my Persicaria Kawagoeanum that I got from Zach:


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

Man, you are getting some amazing color out of that 'Kawagoeanum' I'll have to use some in my upcoming scape!


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

Wow! Insane color!!!


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## looking4roselines (Mar 28, 2008)

zachary908 said:


> Man, you are getting some amazing color out of that 'Kawagoeanum'...



Yeah he is good at that. 

Any updates on your crypts Don?


Xue


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Zach, Bob, and Xue! The Persicaria's are so easy to grow and respond really nicely to CO2 and a regular fertilization schedule. One of my favorite types of plants because they can really provide a nice pop of color anywhere in the scape.

Xue--The crypts are doing well; all have sent out new leaves, and the Keei and Ferriginea have sent out several runners. The Bullosa has sent out a nice large new leaf which looks really nice in person...it will be a trick to see if I can catch a nice photo of it. I don't think that the Keei really likes my substrate. It may be a little too fine and be compacting it. One of the two seem to be growing out of the substrate, which is a bummer, but I'm not overly surprised. The tank has a few plants that you would think would be doing great, but are either doing "a little above average," like the one Keei, or "not so great," like the Limnophila Aromatica (even though it had been doing great!) and the Hygro Tiger (which is doing terribly!). I can't put my finger on it.

The wife and I are about to buy a new house.....so that crappy thing is that I am going to have to tear all of this down in a few months and restart it. The good thing is that we will have our first house!  Regarding the tank, I suppose that with careful planning, I will be able to keep all of the plants, so it should be too expensive to restart. Money will be tight, but I am also trying to get a new position right now as well. I should hear back about that next week, and I am really hoping to get this different job. It will be a little more money, but I will only have to travel overnight a few times per month.

Anybody want to sell me some mineralized top soil down the road for cheap?  I'll probably do that, have a kitty litter base, and cap it all with EcoComplete, AS, or just a thin layer of dark sand. Any ideas?

I have some more plants coming in today (I think) so I should be able to get those in and take some additional pics over today or tomorrow.


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## Wicket_lfe (Aug 21, 2008)

That is awesome.


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## looking4roselines (Mar 28, 2008)

Hey man congrats on the house. All the paperwork can give you grey hair but I hope you had a smooth transaction. When we got ours, Escrow held us up and there were nights where I couldn't sleep. 

Good luck with the new job!


Xue


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks buddy!! Nothing is "100% certain" yet regarding either the house or the job. I'm quite the nervous Don right now!!  The house is probably a 95% certainty, and assuming that it passes the inspection, it should be "ours" unless we back out (good bye escrow money!).

Regarding the job: the talk with the Head of Sales yesterday went very well, and I would love the opportunity to work for him. It would be a good deal for both of us. However, they are trying to prioritize what they need first: another salesman (me!) or someone for I.T., or another staff scientist for testing. He would like to get me on board, but may be over-ruled. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!! I won't speculate on my "odds" like I did above for the house.

I'm going to do my tank this afternoon, and watch some movies over the next several days to keep my mind off of things. What stinks more is that Mrs. Don is out of town until Monday...so I just get to sit here and dwell. YEA!!


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## thefisherman (Oct 15, 2011)

bro i good luck on the job man... any opportunity to make more dough to spend on the hobby [cough] i mean you and your family is always positive! 

and congratulations on the new house too... one word of advice, MOVERS! don't break your back man... just make sure everything is logically stored, secure and labeled.

the only thing i would micro-manage in the move is your tank and its inhabitants! dishes are replaceable... 200g square planted tank of awesomeness isn't! :O

i'd help ya move bro but 1) i hate moving (literally) and 2) i'm a major distraction, we'd probabbly be drinking beer doing tank maintenance or DIY aquatic tank related projects lol...i'm a real trip at housewarmings tho! 



- thefisherman


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Wicket lfe--Thank you! What does your Member Name mean exactly?? 

Ryan--Thanks Bro! I really hope the opportunity comes through!!! I could use more tank-err..."wife" time! LOL! Actually, it would be nice to spend some more QT with the Ol' Lady...we're coming up on six years this September. I think that I've been around for about three of those.

Too late! I worked as a mover for a year, and my back has been messed up ever since. I will let them handle the big stuff, including the tank. Really have to time it perfectly. I am hoping that since the new place is only three miles away, they won't have to crate it and can just put it on some cushions and drive slow. That's how I did it the first time. Cushions and Styrofoam. 

Come on, man! I'll fly you down to Nashville. I could use a nice cold one or four after all this is done! The trick is getting your butt away from work long enough!


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## thefisherman (Oct 15, 2011)

crazydaz said:


> Wicket lfe--Thank you! What does your Member Name mean exactly??
> 
> Ryan--Thanks Bro! I really hope the opportunity comes through!!! I could use more tank-err..."wife" time! LOL! Actually, it would be nice to spend some more QT with the Ol' Lady...we're coming up on six years this September. I think that I've been around for about three of those.
> 
> ...


Don, if i go to nashville bro we're goin bass fishing! :O


- thefisherman


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

LOL! I can't even catch fish in my own tank with a net let alone in a lake/stream with a baited hook. You should have known me when I was still in Detroit....all of this water everywhere! It was a fisherman's paradise.

And you wanna know something sad: I've never, ever been fishing once.


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## LetThereBeFish (Dec 7, 2011)

Hummina Hummina Hummina Hummina Hummina Hummina Hummina Hummina! I think I just fell in love. My overwhelming love might force me to take this masterpiece off your hands. Where do you live? TN? Hmm... thats only about... 800 miles or so... not that far...Hehehe


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## Imi Statue (Apr 6, 2012)

Joining in


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks LetThereBeFish and ImiStatue (for following the thread?)!

Not too much to report....the root tabs from various sources seem to be starting to kick in; recently, some of my faster growing crypts have thrown out a few leaves, and my stems seem to be enjoying the added nutrients as well. I've split my Barclaya, which is great!

I still have to cover my limnophila 'mini vietnam' with glasses as the cichlids continue to devastate certain plants. I received some Hygro Lancea and P. Sao Paulo (which is coloring up very nicely!!), and a TON of extras from Philip, only to have the Rainbows uproot and eat the leaves off of most of what he sent. Frustrating. 

I suppose that at the very most, this set up has five months max before I have to tear it down as I am about to put money down on a nice home. Passed the mold inspection on Thursday, so things are chugging along on that front. I'll be able to catch and trade in the Rainbows and tetras. From now on, I think that I do tetras only. I'm tempted to try Keyholes, but I'm a little gun-shy of any cichlids. We'll see.

Anyhow, lots of pics this week. Took them right after maintenance, so the water is a touch cloudy as I had to replant some of the crypts to make more room to add to my L. Repens and P. Kawagoneum. I will take more pics this coming week of the P. Sao Paulo once it finishes transforming into it's submersed form and gets bright pink.

Left Side:

























Left Oblique:









Lights Up for Maintenance work:









Front:









Front; Left Side:









Front; Right Side:









Nice shot of the P. Kawagoneum, Ludwigias Repens and Senegalensis, Rotala Colorata, etc:









Right Oblique:









Right Side:









Back half of the right side:









Hygro Sunset (needs a little more time with fertilization to really "pop"):









Persicaria 'Sao Paulo' (not quite yet at submersed form, but getting there):









Front left corner...shot of the ground cover. Lots of different species there!:









Thanks Guys! Hope everyone had a really nice Easter!!


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

Nice pics, bro! The tank is looking great!

What are the rotalas you have growing? I see what looks like rotala green 'narrow', rotala macrandra, and maybe colorata?

Nice job on splitting the barclaya, Don!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Zach! I think that I may have a few stems of R. Vietnam in there somewhere....I think, too, that you are correct on the Rotala Green 'Narrow,' as I'm pretty certain that it isn't 'Nanjenshan' which is what it was sold to me as. No red tinge at the stem apex makes me agree with you, and in my tank, if there should be red coloration anywhere in a plant, it would be obvious. The other two (Macrandra and Colorata) are confirmed. I will be getting some true Rotala Mexicana 'Goias' from Jeff this coming week. I'm looking forward to that!! 

Running...out....of....room.....


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

You're going to make me broke, bro! I want some of that rotala green and rotala colorata too, Don! Let me know.

I've got cash sitting in paypal, just waiting for it to be available (I hate the payment hold thing paypal does now)


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Fantastic looking tank, great color


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thank you 2in10!! 

Zach, these plants aren't very uncommon. I can't imagine that I'm going to charge you much for them. I hardly ever ship plants though. That alone is worth eleventy-billion dollars.

Especially that Colorata....stuff grows like wildfire in my tank. Same with L. 'Red' and the 'Kawagoneum.' The R. Green 'Narrow' grows pretty fast (not quite as fast as the others), and will need to be thinned out from time to time. It branches PROFUSELY and will creep just like the Colorata under high lighting, so just forewarning you. They need to be trimmed and kept in check.


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

how do you get your hygro sunset so red/pink? Mine isn't close to that and only pink at the very top.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

CO2, high light, and iron. Lots of iron. I find that the coloration really gets nice after it has had an opportunity to acclimate and been trimmed a few times. What type of lighting do you use? You may need to give it an unshaded location. If it is receiving full light already, you could try increasing your iron/CO2. I use root tabs, so the Sunset may be taking up some additional iron through the root system as well.


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

Looking good crazy! are you gonna set the tank up again when you move? Gonna go the same route with it?


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## BrayN (Jan 10, 2012)

Looks great as usual Daz!!


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

crazydaz said:


> CO2, high light, and iron. Lots of iron. I find that the coloration really gets nice after it has had an opportunity to acclimate and been trimmed a few times. What type of lighting do you use? You may need to give it an unshaded location. If it is receiving full light already, you could try increasing your iron/CO2. I use root tabs, so the Sunset may be taking up some additional iron through the root system as well.


 I will try to dose more iron and put some root tabs in for it, it currently has an unshaded area with co2 and daily dry ferts. Thanks


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks BrayN and Kwheeler! I will be setting it back up immediately....I'm not losing these plants!! The arrangement with the hardscape may be a little different...and I will probably try to get some mineralized TS in there....I will try to keep the Colorata trimmed lower as well....keep it to tetras and angels. Otherwise, it'll be about the same. I like variety and color.

Slammed--If you are dosing frequently with nitrogen, you are probably seeing great growth but lacking in coloration. Try cutting back on the nitrogen a smidge, and see if that helps color it up.


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

I will try that, thank you


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Quick update.....

A lot of the root tabs that I've placed into the tank are really starting to positively impact the growth. I've been very pleased with the results that I've seen using the root tabs that have been sent to me. I've found it very interesting to watch. Some of the root tabs are really good for healthy, lush, and fast growth; the others have been better for coloration. I've actually had so much growth that I sent out two plant packages on Monday to friends simply because I would have felt bad about throwing away the cuttings into the garden or trash as usual. I haven't shipped plants since 2008, by the way, so the growth has been remarkable.

I didn't manage to take a picture of the tank prior to the trim, but mostly due to my crappy lower back, I am only able to stay hunched over my tank trimming/planting, etc for a maximum of a few hours. As a result, I wasn't able to hack away my Rotala 'Colorata', so the growth remains on that part of the tank. It is NOT going to be fun trimming that. Not at all.:

Front Side-









Same 'Colorata' but from the Right Side-









Healthy Plants! This was taken today; everything (except for the L. Cuba) was hacked down on Monday; you can see that the plants bounced back quickly and seem very happy in this shot!









Rainbow Cichlids and their spawn. I wish I had their life! Eat, sleep, rip up plants to snack on, and spawn constantly. Too much fish sex in that tank for me to care to think about.









Will try to get more pics up Sunday or Monday after the forthcoming massive Rotala 'Coloata' trim, and give everything a day or two in order to recover.

Found a new job, too! One that should allow me to work from my home office. I won't be gone any more than 4 nights per month. Woot! That will be most delicious!


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## carpalstunna (Mar 22, 2012)

wow those colors are awesome, very autumnal! What root tabs are you using!


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## manualfocus (Jun 15, 2011)

My god.. the colors.. :icon_eek:

Great looking tank! I'm definitely going to kick up the iron in my tank.


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

Looking good, Don! Thanks for the awesome plants.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Carpalstunna and Manualfocus---thank you both! The trick for me has been adding a bit more extra iron and phosphorus; I do dose nitrogen, but the floaters and hygros really tend to keep those levels pretty low. More nitrogen leads to faster growth, but "greener" coloration. I probably under-dose the tank more often than not to keep the red, orange, and yellow colors nice and bright. I have been using four different types of root tabs; two have given excellent growth, and the other two have helped to give nice coloration. I've commented privately to spare feelings and not promote any individual's product. To be honest, I may just do a combination of all four, but in differing quantities.

Zach--Thanks Pal! I'm happy that you like them, and I hope that they will be useful for you!


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## Eben (Mar 12, 2012)

Really really really nice tank, perfect dimensions too


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks a bunch, Eben! I've had some added benefits from the root tabs that I've using lately in terms of extra (faster) growth. The faster the plants grow, the more ferts you can use to help keep them colorful, and so on.

I know I'm doing something well when I can sell all of my extra 'Colorata' within 20 minutes like I did today. 

It'll be interesting to see what I can come up with following my move down the road. I'm really, really excited about doing a new set up, and really, really dreading it at the same time too!


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

Don, what root tabs do you use? Send me a PM if you could.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Errr.....all of them?


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

First, I did a nice trim of the "Colorata" that you can see below in the "Before" and "After" pics. I love this plant as you can be absolutely brutal and curse at it, and as long as you have an established root system with a few leaves, it will bounce back every time. It will look really pretty again in no time! New tank pics in the next post......it's amazing what else you can see in the tank when you mow your foreground to near substrate level!

Sold off well over 100 stems of the "Colorata" and easily could have tripled that. Good to know for next time!

Before (Pics of Rotala 'Colorata' late last week):










From Side:









AFTER TRIM YESTERDAY:









From Side:


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

In any event, had a big trim of many plants yesterday, and did some minor re-arranging with L. Cuba and the Sag. Platyphylla. My Rannunculus has exploded over the past week or two, and I'm sure that's due to the addition of root tabs introduced to the tank about a month ago....getting some really nice coloration on my crypts too! Have one or two Mi Oyas coming tomorrow as well as some red root floaters, which should be nice. Also, my Limnophila Aromatica is starting to grow out again, and I am eager to have that back to fill in some of the gaps along the right side!

Enjoy the pics....you don't often get to see all the anubias and java/bolbitus ferns in my tank due to the growth and height of the stems.

Left Side:









Ferns and anubias from Left Side (towards center of the tank):









Pristellas school...I'm thinking about just doing a tank full of these for the next set up:









Green Rotala 'Narrow'









Left Oblique:









Front:









Front/Left Side Close:









C. Nuri (I think):









Lots of Rannunculus nodes growing...all this from a total of 5 remaining nodes a few weeks ago:









C. Brown Green Affinis:









C. Keei patch forming:









One of my dozen or so buces that are usually hidden...should be able to split this one in a month or so:









Right Oblique:









Right Side:









Neat shot of Persicaria 'Sao Paulo' which looks great, Nesaea crassicaulis, and lots of anubias nana (and some others in there) that are hardly ever seen:









Just anubias on the right side in ONE part...I have several areas of rows like this in the tank:









Persicaria 'Praetermissa':









Right side, looking from the front of the tank back:


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## Jeromeit (Sep 30, 2011)

im drooling.. lol gorgeous tank bro!


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

looks great!! your colors are amazing! especially that 'sao paolo'!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Jeromeit!!! The colors are crazy when I'm looking at it.....so far so good!

Thanks Bob! The Sao Paulo is just a shade more "purple-ly" than the Kawagoneum. I'm surprised as the coloration between the two is remarkably close, more so than I remember it being from the Days of Yore when I had the two growing together as well. It transitioned well, and I am interested to see if I can really bring out the purple hues a bit more.

Thanks you two! The compliments mean a bit more coming from two accomplished enthusiasts/hobbyists in their own right.


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## carpalstunna (Mar 22, 2012)

Bravo! I love seeing your updates


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks, Tunna! I love giving them!


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## aXio (May 29, 2011)

Look very very good! Loving all the colors.


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## Jeromeit (Sep 30, 2011)

crazydaz said:


> Thanks Jeromeit!!! The colors are crazy when I'm looking at it.....so far so good!
> 
> Thanks Bob! The Sao Paulo is just a shade more "purple-ly" than the Kawagoneum. I'm surprised as the coloration between the two is remarkably close, more so than I remember it being from the Days of Yore when I had the two growing together as well. It transitioned well, and I am interested to see if I can really bring out the purple hues a bit more.
> 
> Thanks you two! The compliments mean a bit more coming from two accomplished enthusiasts/hobbyists in their own right.


Haha thank you! But I must say your spectrum of colors is magnificent an your growth is absolutely outstanding! Reminds me that I have a ways to go lol


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## Jeromeit (Sep 30, 2011)

Double post!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Jeromeit--Yes, it takes a huge amount of skill to catch the amount of collectoritis that I have!  This tank makes NO sense, whatsoever. I always keep telling myself "You know, it would be cool to do a DHG tank, and nothing else!" and it never happens. I can't resist Natures bounty out there. I would do another tank, if the wife would let me, but face it: it would end up looking the same as this tank. LOL!!

We ALL have a ways to go, Bro! Take it a step at a time!


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## Jeromeit (Sep 30, 2011)

Lmao! I know what u mean bro I'm the same way haha


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## antbug (May 28, 2010)

A tank with hair grass only will never look this good. The colors are stunning. I love the way everything blends together.


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

Looks like a florida ditch. Natural, yet shouldnt all be in the same place


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Antbug! I would love to try an Iwagumi, but I am afraid that it would end up boring me. That isn't to say that Iwagumi wouldn't be a challenge to do in it's own right, but I am just not sure that I would appreciate it as much. Unfortunately, the colors are starting to blend a bit too well together; it's a little difficult to tell where one plant species stops and the next one begins without doing close ups. I'll have to trim down the Kawagoenaum and split the Senegalensis so there are different heights to each and easy to separate!

Kwheeler91--I couldn't agree more! It's one of those "kinda funny, but it's not"-type of thing....there is too much truth to that example. Poor Florida!


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## rockwood (Jun 19, 2010)

I think if you figured out what your favorite plants are as far as differing color/texture and narrowed down your species you'll be even happier. 

I know what you mean about collectoritis though. If I had a tank this large (and could keep things healthy like I used to) I'd have every species I could find. I'm very jelly of the colors you're pulling off.


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## vincenz (Jan 29, 2012)

Looking good, getting more complex as the plants grow into each other's territories. roud: How many red bulbs are you running?


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Rockwood--Hello neighbor!!  I don't know if I can really narrow anything down. Everything has a uniqueness to it....I just need a bigger tank. I agree with you that it some things need to be taken out. Pretty colors, too much to look at, perhaps? I'll see what I can come up with for the next set up after the move. For now, I'm just focusing on the colors and trimming.

Vincenz--Thanks Bro! It is getting a bit more complex, but I just have to plant them a bit tighter together, that's all. Not too tight, but tighter. I don't mind a little mixing of territories as it gives it a more natural feel to it. I'm running 6 AquaFlora and 6 Midday bulbs; all from Geisemann.


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## antbug (May 28, 2010)

What ever you do, do not change the left side. It's perfect. I see you point on the right side though.


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## thefisherman (Oct 15, 2011)

i've been away for a few and i come back to 200g square tank plant growth explosion!... i've got some rubbermaids tubs, a cooler of beer and a tankful of gas bro... i'm comin over to help trim those plantlets baby! :icon_twis muahahhaa!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Tony--Hey, now wait a darn minute!  LOL!! Keep in mind that I just MASSIVELY hacked that side down and did some rearranging on that side, Bro!! Judge in a few weeks when it has had a chance to recover and put on some new growth! I showed some of my family what I had been working on, and most of them preferred that side of the tank.....to each his own, right?

Ryan--Good to see you back here, man! Get your butt down here and help me move this darned thing later this summer....you can have all the plants you want. Except for some of the crypts and buces....unless they're ready to split.....then you can have those too!  You're welcome down here anytime! That's how we do it in the South!


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## ChadRamsey (Nov 3, 2011)

this is without a doubt the nicest tank that i have EVER seen.

If i knew were you lived, i would brake into your house and steal that thing...Tonight!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

LOL!! If you can carry it, you can have it. As you would be the strongest man in the universe, and I would not even try to stop you. 

Thanks Chad!! You are welcome to stop by anytime to try to steal it!


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## thefisherman (Oct 15, 2011)

i wouldn't try to pick up ur tank bro... but i might put on the ol swim trunks and float arond in an inner tube in there tho! of course as i watch sports center and sip my beer... planted tank recliner baby, i'm king of the world! 

ps. u got a large flat screen near the tank bro? :O


- thefisherman


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Kinda like a Lazy River?  You will have to abide by the "No beer while in the tank" signs posted!

No, no TV down there. We wanted to make that the focus of the room, and it would be a little distracting trying to watch TV down there. We have our computer/office down there (which is really nice!) and a ton of books along with a couch and a chair/ottoman.

We have the nice big flat screen upstairs in the living room by the fireplace. In the new house, the tank will have a room of it's own by the entry way. Assuming that I can redo the lighting and stand, it should look pretty nice!


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## thefisherman (Oct 15, 2011)

crazydaz said:


> Kinda like a Lazy River?  You will have to abide by the "No beer while in the tank" signs posted!
> 
> No, no TV down there. We wanted to make that the focus of the room, and it would be a little distracting trying to watch TV down there. We have our computer/office down there (which is really nice!) and a ton of books along with a couch and a chair/ottoman.
> 
> We have the nice big flat screen upstairs in the living room by the fireplace. In the new house, the tank will have a room of it's own by the entry way. Assuming that I can redo the lighting and stand, it should look pretty nice!


books? what is this..."books" that you speak of? :O


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

you know, those things that people used to read from? They were made of paper and usually had things called "pages" in them. The "books" that I read usually had big words and were mostly comprised of colorful pictures.

Seriously, there is just something about holding and reading a book that makes it so much better than reading a book from an iPad or something similar


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

LOL much more interactive and tactile with a real book.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

crazydaz said:


> In any event, had a big trim of many plants yesterday, and did some minor re-arranging with L. Cuba and the Sag. Platyphylla. My Rannunculus has exploded over the past week or two, and I'm sure that's due to the addition of root tabs introduced to the tank about a month ago....getting some really nice coloration on my crypts too! Have one or two Mi Oyas coming tomorrow as well as some red root floaters, which should be nice. Also, my Limnophila Aromatica is starting to grow out again, and I am eager to have that back to fill in some of the gaps along the right side!
> 
> Enjoy the pics....you don't often get to see all the anubias and java/bolbitus ferns in my tank due to the growth and height of the stems.
> 
> ...


Absolutely fantastic. What a great collection of color and leaf shapes.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks 2in10! Sorry for the delay there in responding to that! I appreciate the compliment!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

So, it was quite a day yesterday. I had seven plant packages that I had to ship out to some friends and hobbyists, and afterwards I had decided to do some rearranging and trimming. I started with these projects after returning from the Post Office with the boxes for shipping plants, which would have made it about 9:30am. Took a break to run said (and now "full") boxes back to the Post Office, came back, and dug into the little project of trimming, moving, trimming (again), cleaning, water changing, fertilizing, and cleaning the outside of the tank. I think I wrapped things up at 7:30pm last night, and I didn't take a lunch break. I did take a quick 5 minute break to shotgun a Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper in the mid-afternoon. Back hurt last night, but it's fine today (surprisingly)....I've GOT to figure out how to put this lighting on a track system; suggestions needed!!!

Obligatory "Before" and "After" pictures. If you have dial up internet still, come back tomorrow. 

I'll do this in a series of posts.....so the Pre-trim shots...this is what happens when I leave the tank along for about ten days:

Left Side-









Front, Eye Level-









Front/Right Corner-









Right Side-










I don't know what's going on here....the Lotus leaves are roping around each other and threatening to choke my Hygro Lancea-










Upon closer inspection, I see that I have a juvenille Blue Kerri Tetra (dead-center of pic, by the Sagittaria Platyphyta leaf. I've never had a successful tetra survivor ever from a spawn. Nifty!









Some random species shots:

Rotala Mexicana 'Goias'....though it may appear to be a nice portion, this amount equates to an area about half the size of my palm. Tiny plant-









The last ones are for the crypt lovers....Xue, finally a decent shot of the Metallic Red that you sent me a few months ago:









New two crypt Kota's I got last week....you can see C. Nurii close by:


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Post pictures taken at 7:30pm yesterday (5-7-12). Water is cloudy due to rearranging of species, and so on. Only four of the twelve T5's are on, which is adding to some of the dim effect. too.

Left Side post trim-









Left Side "Rows"-









Front Side eye-level-









Front+Right Side "Rows"-









Right Side-









Right Side "Rows"-


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Finally, pictures of the tank this morning, post-trim, no cloudiness, and all the lights back on:

Left Side-









Left Side "Rows"-









Front-









Close up-









Right Side-









Right Side "Rows"-









********************************************************

Simple Before and After:

Left Side Pre-Trim:









Left Side Post-Trim:










Front Pre-Trim:









Front Post-Trim:










Right Side Pre-Trim:









Right Side Post-Trim:









Thanks for looking everyone!!


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## Lil' Swimz$ (Jul 24, 2010)

Wow it looks really good!


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Looks fantastic, If you have enough room overhead why not rig up a pulley system and lift the lights up well out of the way.

On another note what are the bulbs you are using and how many of each?


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

Looks great man, can't wait to get some of your plants


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

This tank is incredible and bleeds a rainbow of color. Excellent!


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## Quesenek (Sep 26, 2008)

Looks really unique with the 48" of depth.
I'm really liking the look of large square tanks they make it feel like you are viewing out into a body of water versus a sort of 2d look that normal tanks give.


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

Its seems you have found the only known treatment for collectoritis: 16 square feet of tank.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Hi Swimz! Thank you!! 

2in10: Thanks, Bro! I did think of somehow rigging a pulley system....but the problem relies on the actual material of the pendant: it's pressboard on top, so I can't use it for anchoring an eyebolt to. I'm probably just going to have to build a new one that can be rigged from the ceiling. That'll be a scream!

The bulbs are: 6 Giesemann Aquarflora and 6 Geisemann Mid-day. All are on for 9 hours, with a "dawn" for about an hour and a half prior, and a "dusk" for about an hour and a half post burst period. About a 12 hour photoperiod.

Thanks Slammed! You probably got your plants tonight...TLyons got hers already today. You don't have to unpack them tonight. Just bring them inside and put them in a cool location until you are ready to plant tomorrow.

Thank you Green Leaf! I appreciate the compliment!

Quesenek--Having a lot of space to play with really, really helps add another dimension to the tank. Other big tanks traditionally are very long, and it can make the tank look more like a picture. Not all do, but most can. Wisest decision that I made was to have this tank custom-built the way it currently is.

Kwheeler--It's either "that," or get more tanks. Some day, when I have moved into a forever home and my kids are grown and out of the house, I am going to pay to have someone come in and custom build me a 6 x 6 x 18"Tall. That would be sensational!


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## tlyons01 (Nov 23, 2011)

I feel so honored to have received a large amount of these gorgeous plants today. I hope that I am able to continue to get the colors that you have gotten from them, though I doubt that I can with my simple set up. I will start working on my tank tomorrow and will have pics to share


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

well, I sent you stems that should do fine in a lower tech environment, Therese! They may take a little time to adjust, but most should "pull through" and be fine. I wouldn't give you anything that would instantly die once removed from my tank. "Honored" is the term that you should use though. Lol! Just kidding!


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Thanks for the info.


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

6 x 6 x 18 sounds awesome. my dream tank, well one of them lol is 6 x 4 x 2. Native darter/dace/minnow river set up. Willow moss in the tank and probably other native riparian vegetation. One day...


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

Holy crap dude, that was a lot of freaking plants. The colors are awesome and can't wait to rearrange the tank now. I planted everything last night where ever there was a bare spot. I will prob go through this weekend and do a rescape. Thanks again.


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## rockwood (Jun 19, 2010)

I want to know how in the crap you're pulling off 12 bulbs with minimal algae. Do you have magic water over there in Goodlettsville or something?


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

rockwood said:


> i want to know how in the crap you're pulling off 12 bulbs with minimal algae. Do you have magic water over there in goodlettsville or something?


lol


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

kwheeler---we'll get there, buddy!  Hold on to that dream!!

Slammed---I PM'd you, but I'm happy if you're happy! You did the right thing by just sticking them into "any ol'" place for now; it'll give them a few days to recover from being.....cast out of "Plant Heaven"! LOL 

Rockwood---I don't know what to tell you Bro. The lights sit about a foot off the tank and all are on for at least 9 hours per day with an hour and a half "dawn" and "dusk" cycles. I think that one thing that I do that I am pretty meticulous about is removing organic debris twice per week. I remove my floating plants and rinsing them in the tank water to dislodge any debris from the root system, set them aside, and go about cleaning the glass, doing a quick vacuum of the Korelia pumps and filter intakes, and then net out any floating leaves or leaf parts that I see. I think that most people try to get "most" of the trimmings if they can, but don't fully get rid of the excessive debris. For me, failure to do so leads to excessive nutrient build up in the water column, and then algae takes over. I fertilize the plants just like we are "supposed" to eat: often and in smaller quantities. I probably under fertilize a bit, but I fertilize frequently, usually six times per week. And I don't do big water changes. I try to leave the darn thing alone as much as I can!

Magic water, indeed!  LOL!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

This tank is amazing! Great job bringing out the colors in those plants. This plating must really be something to see in person.



crazydaz said:


> Finally, pictures of the tank this morning, post-trim, no cloudiness, and all the lights back on:
> 
> Left Side-
> 
> ...


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

Just crazy to click back to page 1 and see how naked this rainbow of wonderful once was.
Did you mention what bulbs you're using? I like the warmer look over this tank.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Devin! It does kinda suck being the only person that gets to see this in person. I did have a person over from the local fish club to see it one time, but I have since left the site (it was more of a cichlid forum). Not too many people to play with here.

Prototype--Thanks! The differences are night and day, and after a bit of a slow start, things really picked up and improved quickly for me! Woot! 

The lighting never changed; I think when I took some of the earlier pictures, only the 10000K's were on. Now, I try to take pics when all of the lights are on. The lighting is made up of 6 Geisemann Midday 54w T5HO and 6 Giesemann Aquaflora 54w T5HO bulbs. It seems to make the tank look a bit warmer and brings out the colors, even though there is still plenty of blue light to encourage plant growth. It is a pleasing spectrum in there!


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

This tank has turned out beautiful. I really like your post trim shot from the front. You have taken collectoritis and made a beautiful scape with it. roud:


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thank you Ua Hua!! Collectoritis makes for an interesting tank and a unique set of challenges, as you well know!  How's the 90g these days?


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

I finally made myself sit down and do this over the past day or two. I had a few people ask me what all was in there, and I finally decided to list out everything.

UPDATED PLANT LIST (as of 5/18/12):

1. Hygrophilia corymbosa stricta
2. Hygrophila Kompact
3. Ludwigia inclinata "Red"
4. Eichhornia diversifolia
5. Crypt Rosenvig
6. Rotala "Colorata"
7. Limnophila "Mini Vietnam"
8. Rananculus inundatus
9. Anubias gasser
10. Anubias nana berteri "gold"
11. Anubias nana berteri
12. Anubias lanceolata 
13. Anubias petite
14. Anubias gracillis
15. Anubias coffeefolia
16. Marselia minuta
17. Ludwigia alata
18. Crypt 'Green Gecko'
19. Hygro lancea
20. Ludwiga senegalensis
21. Crypt "Kota"
22. Hygro polysperma "Sunset"
23. Crypt "Nurii"
24. Cyrpt "Kalimantan"
25. Ludwigia Repens x Arcuata
26. Ludwigia grandulosa
27. Ludwigia sp. "Red"
28. Ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata "Cuba"
29. Rotala Mexican "goias"
30. Persicaria "Kawagoeanum"
31. Persicaria "Praetermissa"
32. Persicaria "Sao Paulo"
33. Limnophila aromatica
34. Nesaea crassicaulis
35. Nymphaea lotus 'Red'
36. Barclaya longifolia
37. Hygrophila sp. 'Araguaia'
38. Hyptis lorentziana
39. Crypt affinis Metallic Red "Pahang Barat"
40. Crypt 'Mi Oya'
41. Crypt Keei "Jambusan"
42. Hygrophila "Tiger"
43. Crypt affinis "brown and green"
44. Staurogyne "repens"
45. Crypt "legroi"
46. Lagenandra thwaitesii
47. Crypt ferruginea "Kuching"
48. Crypt bukit Ibam
49. Crypt bullosa bario
50. Buce "Velvet Leaf 4"
51. Buce "Red Gaia"
52. Hydrocotyle sp. "Japan"
53. Buce Horned leaf "Daerah Sanggau"
54. Buce Titan II "Daerah Sanggau"
55. Buce Sexy pink "Daerah Sanggau"
56. Nano fern sp. "Wayanad" (just a smidge, not for sale)
57. Buce "Super Blue"
58. Rotala "Vietnam"
59. Ammania gracilis
60. Red Root Floater
61. Hyroryza aristata
62. Sagittaria platyphylla
63. Buce "Red Vein"
64. Buce "Shine Green"
65. Buce "Shine Blue"
66. Buce "Belindae"
67. Ammania latifolia. 

Plenty of room left!  For buce's and lagenandra

Updated pics pre- and post- trimming on Sunday or Monday! Have a nice weekend!


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## vincenz (Jan 29, 2012)

Oh my god that is a lot of plants. 

What else are you going to do with 2300 sq in. of space right?!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

46,080inches^3 useable space......48"x48"x20"T  Minus the hardscape volume, of course.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Wow that is one heck of a list. You have done a fantastic job on making the collectoritis not obvious.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thank you 2in10! I'm not sure that I would agree with you about the tank not looking like a collectoritis tank, but I appreciate you saying so!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

A lot of things, a lot of things.....

First, a lot of people ask me how I keep the tank relatively free of algae even though there is ample fertilization and a "mini-star" above the tank. Here is one secret:










Yup, good ol' netting of debris on a consistent and regular basis makes for a more favorable environment to prevent algae growth, especially beard or brush algae. Even though the tank is heavily planted and has AMPLE floating plants as well, it is really important to get rid of any excessive plant material that is dead or not growing, as it will leech nutrients back into the water column. The amount I collected is about a small handful of dead or detached leaves collected after two days. I had to separate the "wheat from the chaff," so to speak, from the Red Root Floaters by taking a small handful and dunking/shake their roots free of debris, and then net the debris before it could float away. Annoying and a little time consuming: yes. Worth it?: absolutely!!

Anyhow, my crypts are growing and finally sending out some nice daughters, which pleases me in a fantastic way!!!  I should be able to start selling them soon....or I could just keep them and sell the next generation. Either way, it's great news!

Daughter plant of my Crypt Bullosa bario:









Two daughters from my Crypt affinis Metallis Red, but I have three total (third picture was too blurry to use):


















Crypt Nurii has sent out a nice daughter plant:









Have a few nice crypt patches forming in the tank now!









Keei 'Jambusan'









New growth on my Crypt Kotas:










Got some new buce's in recently, too:

Super Blue with flowers:









Copper leaf:









Silver powder rock (multiple plantlets on here):









**An ultra-rare!!** I'm especially happy having procured a bit of this Buce "Cherish III":









I also received buce Emerald Carpet as well, but didn't get a great shot....I'll have to try again later.

Anyhow, a few random shots:

Hygro Lancea:









Ludwigia grandulosa sprout:









Persicaria "Sao Paulo":









I will try to get some tank shots up tomorrow! Thanks for looking!


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Beautiful shots, congrats on the crypts


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## BrayN (Jan 10, 2012)

Very nice!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Hey, thanks BrayN and 2in10!!!  I'm stoked about the crypts!! I was really nervous about getting them, thinking that they would melt and die. It's nice to know that I can grow something other than stem plants well, too!

Will get some more pictures up here later! Thanks guys!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Yea! Another Rainbow Cichlid spawn!  Anybody know how to "stun" a fish so I can net it and take it to the LFS? Fish traps have run their course, and they know the net now, and I'm not big on "fishicide." Any help? I mean, it would be great if I shipped and sold fish....but, I'm not going to touch that.

Anyhow, new photos.....in addition to the ones I posted last night.

New brood:









Left Side:









Left Oblique:









Front:









Front-Right showing some better delineation of species:









Check out these reds! 









Buce sp. Shine Blue flower:









Right Oblique:









Right Side:









Closer shot of the Right Side:









Thank you for looking! Have a great Holiday Weekend!!


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## BrayN (Jan 10, 2012)

Man I am seriously in awe of this beautiful tank! Well done!

These last shots are the best yet in my opinion. :thumbup:


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Wow that is amazing!

Have you tried surprising that fish while it's sleeping?


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Fantastic, not sure on the catching method after traps and net. Well beside yanking everything out.


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

Don, bro, why are you and your tank so cool? It makes us all look like "algae growers". Keep up the awesome work!


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

This tank is absolutely incredible. I have never seen anything like it, so red it makes your eyes feel like they are bleeding. Its awesome


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks BrayN! If you ever find yourself over in this part of town, you are welcome to stop by and take a look-see. 

Thank you Devin! I thought about that, except I have moonlight LED's on there that are so bright the fish can see you coming a mile away. Without them, I won't be able to see where they are either. I did notice that the cichlids will hide at night while they are sleeping, and the only fish in the open water are the tetras. Grrrr....it's an exercise in futility for the time being. I'll just have to net them when I take the tank down when we move in a few months. I'll take them to the LFS then. 

2in10--Yeah, I know! That's the problem and I don't have a big enough net to chase them around and catch anything. The tank would end up being a mess of uprooted stems. Guess I'll just keep giving them the Evil Eye and grudgingly feed them and just put up with it. 

Zach---I couldn't answer your question, bro!  LOL! I don't have the organization to do a true "Dutch" aquarium like Tom, and I like colors too much to do Iwagumi. I appreciate using aquatic plants in their best form, and I never will be able to do a true "aquascape" because of that. I would never want to replicate a terrestrial environment using the aquatic environment. So, I stick with what I think that I'm good at, and just keep building off experience and trying new things, like buce's and crypts.

Of course, it helps a lot getting plants from quality traders, like your "Kawagoeanum." I am very proud to say that all the plants that I have in the tank have been from other hobbyists ONLY! 

Orlando! Thanks a bunch pal!  LOL! "...makes your eyes feel like they are bleeding." I like that, bro!! My CO2 regulator was built by you a long time ago! Still works wonderfully!!


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

wow, with crazy reds..
the tank is on fire!


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## jkan0228 (Feb 6, 2011)

This tank is absolutely nuts! All that color and so many rare sp. 

Job well done.


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

Too bad its coming down its looking better better! New beginnings are fun though. And sadly the only way to get the fish out of that fortress is probably taking it all out, or ninja surprise netting skills...At least the hard scape anyway, you can net through plants but not wood


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## BrayN (Jan 10, 2012)

crazydaz said:


> Thanks BrayN! If you ever find yourself over in this part of town, you are welcome to stop by and take a look-see.


Im definitely going to take you up on that! I live about 15 minutes up the road from you.

As great as these pictures look, I can't imagine how it looks in person!


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

dude, that red...
i want your tank.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks ikuzo! The plants do most of the work, though!

jkan--thank you! It's always a work in progress. Not much more room for stems or crypts now. I will have to focus solely on getting buce's and have them grow on the dw.

Kwheeler-- I'm not taking it down really soon, and when I did, it will be "ultra-temporary"! Just need to save all the plants and hardscape, have the movers move it to the new location, and set it up ASAP! Get the fish out, too, during that time!

Oh, and I'm not skilled enough to net through plants. For me, it's brute force, or nothing at all.

BrayN-- What town do you live in? White house? Ridgetop? Come on down! I live around I-65 and Long Hollow Pike area. Easy-peezy!

@[email protected]! It's what I'm good at....but it really isn't that hard to do with the right equipment and nutrients, bro! There's no real trick to it. If you want the tank, you'll have to wait until the wife and I start having kids. I doubt that I'll have any free time to maintain a stem tank like this until they are grown and out of the house. Not sure what I'll do with the tank. May give it away or go low light. We'll cross that bridge when it comes.


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## looking4roselines (Mar 28, 2008)

Beautiful tank and stems as always. I wish I can grow stems as well as you.

When is the big move by the way?


Xue


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Xue! I'm sure that you could grow stems as well as I could! 

I'm not sure when the move will be....we're looking still. The house that we wanted had some issues with it following inspection, and the bank wanted to give the work that needed to get done to fix the issue to the lowest bidder. Didn't really install a good sense of confidence in me, so we walked away from the deal. We live in a house that will let us rent month to month after September. I would say "Fall" as a time frame, but we haven't been too impressed with what's out there. It will happen when it will happen.....I'm not really in a rush. Especially when you throw this aquarium into the mix, it will be a nightmare.


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

Probably the best overall display of color that I have ever seen in a tank.


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## Pen3 (Jan 2, 2007)

I love the colors and was wondering if your pics are high contrast/HDR or is that just how awesome it is?


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thank you Madness! That's a nice compliment!

Pen3--I adjust the brightness to dim it down some and cut down on the glare from the lights, and increase the sharpness some to make up for a sometimes-unsteady hand. Nothing regarding color scale though. Anyone who has seen this tank in person would agree that these pictures are just slight touch ups. Nothing to hide here!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

***UPDATE** 6/5/12
*

Just completed a major trim on the tank over the weekend; got rid of two Rotala colorata "islands" in favor of opening up some additional room for viewing or adding some additional crypt species down the road.

Here are the pics from today! Have at commentary or questions!

Left Side:









From left to right: Ammannia gracillis, Ludwigia inclinata "Red," Ludwigia Senegalensis









Nice new Ammannia latifolia that I got from AsFishKid in a trade:









Closer shot:









Front (no glare):









Front (with glare):









Delineation of species:









Kind of a neat "alley" shot:









Crypt affinis "Metallic Red" daughter plant that has already been sold, and is going out in a few weeks:









Crypt keei "Jambusan" patch....nice amount of small daughter plants in there:









Obligatory Persicaria "Kawagoeanum" shot. I love this plant, and it just does spectacularly well in my tank:









Finally was able to get some Hyptis to grow in my tank without having the cichlids destroy it....getting some nice coloration on it too!:









Right Oblique:









Right Side:









Species on right side, close to the front of the tank...you can see the major hack job the Rotala colorata took this past weekend. I also planted some Limnophilia "mini Vietnam" in front of the Rotala which should spread into a nice carpet. Most of the Marselia minuta is now gone in my tank.









Closer shot of the right sight looking from the "middle" of the side towards the back:









Some Persicaria 'Sao Paulo' that I'm propping out for sale in a few weeks. It, too, has done very well in my tank. I love that purple-red color I can get out of it.









New Crypt "yuji" that I got on yesterday from Xue. It's an acid-lover, but should do OK in my tank once it adjusts. It can handle "slightly acidic" conditions. To my knowledge, only a few people have this in the US as of right now, so I hope that I can get it to throw daughter plants to sell eventually:









Crypt bullosa "Bario" is doing really, really well! Throws a new leaf every two weeks, and already has a nice daughter plant forming which sprouted a second leaf!









Thanks so much for looking!!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Looks delicious!


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## BrayN (Jan 10, 2012)

Niiiiiiice!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Devin---err....thanks? LOL!!

BrayN--Thanks neighbor!!


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## BIG_Z (Dec 7, 2011)

Wow, makes me want another big tank. Nice dimensions, nice fish, nice plants, nice layout. In other words VERY nice tank.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

FAAAANtastic, wonderful selection of extremely happy plants


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## dantra (May 25, 2007)

That's a nice collection of plants and fantastic growth.

Dan


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

Man that Ammannia latifolia is looking HOT! Im glad to see that it's adjusting to your tank nicely, Don. Keep those pictures coming.


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## pandacory (Apr 18, 2011)

Easily one of my favorite tanks.

If you do end up moving you have to promise to break out the scale for the sheer plant mass that comes out of there!
I am curious to know how much plants it takes to make such a large surface area look so lush!


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

If only I had your tank when I was going through my collectoritis stage... if only haha. Looks awesome bro! Keep it up!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Z, 2in10, dantra!!! Thank you for the nice words!!

Philip--Thanks buddy! I love the stem color! You don't see that type of orangy-red on many stems....it's even brighter than what I have on my Nesaea crassicaulis. I'm really interested in seeing what the leaves and stem end of looking like as the stems grow and get closer to the lighting. Should be pretty cool!!

Thanks pandacory!! I'm not sure that I would have a scale big enough to measure it. Of course, since I will be packing them in layers of wet paper toweling, the weight will be fairly substantial, but inaccurate!  I think that I'm closing in on 75 different species in there, and counting. Wouldn't know how many of each are in there though. Not going to count them, either! LOL!

Nick--when you "were" going through your collectoritis stage?? Seems like you still have a pretty large variety of plants, bro! They're just not all in one tank like mine!! You could always get another big one and start a collectoritis set up! It would be really neat to see what yours would look like versus mine, and how you would arrange things, and so on.


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## Zefrik (Oct 23, 2011)

Good gosh my jaw has been dropped by this tank! I love how the plants are organized, but are not at the same time. And the color is just phenomenal!!!!

I hope to one day be able to have a tank of this magnitude. I sir, am overly impressed!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Zefrik! It should look nicer by mid-week next week when the Rotala colorata and Limnophila "mini Vietnam" have a chance to grow back and show some color. Same with the Rotala mexicana "goias" too. There's a lot of color in there that was trimmed away on Sunday, so I really need it to come back and make it pop out again.

Also, the Ammannia gracillis and Ludwigia inclinata "red" have to grow out and be topped so I can make some stronger looking rows of them. There are a TON of Ludwigia senegalensis stems in there, too, that need to gain some height so they can be seen. Next week's update should have this tank looking pretty nice!

If you learn from your mistakes, and have the patience needed to spend your due diligence, and have the right equipment, you can easily have a tank like this Zefrik. It isn't hard to grow plants, given the right conditions. You're off to a better start with your tanks than I was years ago.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

I never figured out why, but once I really started getting into planted tanks, I just couldn't make my plants redden up. You seem to have no problem with this. The tank is looking wonderful.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

With stems, a lot of the problem is the lighting. 12 HO T5's help to give me great growth and color. I've tried all sorts of lighting and bulbs, and this combo has worked best for me. The substrate is packed with iron rich clay and slow-release nutrients, as well as two different types of root tabs. I dose EI, but I do up the chelated iron and phosphorus a bit more.

Aaron T thought that the abundance of fast growing floaters in the tank would push the nitrogen levels down very low and add to the red coloration, which may be possible, but my plants have not shown problems normally associated with nitrogen deficiency. 

Some of it could just be good luck, for all I know.


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## crazydog64 (Jul 25, 2011)

If you want to catch the offspring maybe you could affix the net to stay in the tank and always feed overtop of it so they get used to it? Then after a day or 5 of that one time during a feeding, YANK, and you have a net full of babies. It's how I caught some of mine when I got tired of stirring up the tank.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Crazydog for the suggestion! It's not the fry that are the problem....they get picked off by the other fish, and eventually the parents will eat the remaining survivors. It's removing the parents that I want to do. I was able to use fish traps to get a few out of there, but they've wised-up to it now.

It really isn't too much of an issue...just some days, they drive me nuts when they start uprooting plants for their hatching pits. With our eventual move into a new place a decided certainty, I'll just catch them all when I break the tank down.


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## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

Absolutely beautiful tank you have here. Just a few questions, what would you say your growth rate is for some of the stems, say week by week? I know
It'll vary from each species, but maybe just a few references? Also, what are your params from the tap? It's clear you can successfully grow most anything.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thank you jcgd! Hard to say what the growth rate is....I usually prune my Hygros once per week (except Kompact). All other stems typically get trimmed every two weeks, and topped/replanted every six-eight weeks. The floaters are thinned out usually weekly. Crypts, anubias, and buce's are pruned every week or two, depending on how fast they are sending out new leaves. Carpeting plants are trimmed to stay in relative shape for about 6-8 weeks before being trimmed a little more severely to replant tops; bottoms are usually left rooted with a few leaves to re-sprout new tops. Midgrounds, like the Kompact and Rotala colorata are usually left alone for two weeks and trimmed to maintain some bushy shape, and then either thinned out or chopped down to within 2-3 inches above substrate level every two months or so.

Are there particular species you are wondering about? Some stems, like the Hygro Sunset grow about 5-8 inches in a week, most stems put on about 3, or sometimes 4, inches of new growth per week. Anubias tend to put out two or three new leaves every week, except for the coffeefolia, which puts out a new leaf every two weeks. Buce's and crypts typically send out 1-2 leaves per week, except for the Bullosa bario which tends to put out a new leaf every 10-14 days.

I don't know my water conditions. I never have checked parameters in any of my tanks since I've been in this hobby, except for about a month when I first started keeping plants in my old 55G some 11 years ago. Just not worth it for me to keep testing and worrying about parameters. I'm not a guru. I have good equipment, sound knowledge of what I'm doing after years of trial and error and doing a TON of reading, and not afraid to take a risk on trying a new plant. I can tell the conditions of my tank based on what species are doing well in my tank, and if something does not do well and ends up dying, I can figure out why most of the time. I know that if I can grow Nesaea crassicaulis well, then the tank is good to go for almost all other species and that the plants should color up pretty well. After that, it's a matter of slight tweaks to the ferts or CO2 levels, or water changes. The best thing you can do for a planted tank is to net out debris on a consistent basis, and perform very small water changes once or twice per week....it keeps the water parameters great for plants and fish, and algae to a minimum.


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## BrayN (Jan 10, 2012)

And you say you aren't a guru...pffft


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

No, I'm not.....and neither is anyone else here on this site or anywhere. Perhaps there are people with "knacks," or have more of a natural "feel" for a tank, or have an "eye" for plant set ups or aquascapes. I kind of compare this hobby to growing a vegetable or flower garden. It's something that anyone can learn. There may be people that will take to the hobby a bit faster.....but if I (THEORETICALLY!!! ) gave you my lighting system, my substrate, tank, my CO2 system, my ferts, etc., it is my belief that within a few years anyone would have something either comparable or better than this. It's about practice and patience. In the end, it doesn't matter to the plant who is using the pair of scissors to trim it; it could be me, it could be Tom Barr, or Jason Baliban, or Takashi Amano, or Oliver Knott, or you. There are only so many ways to use the scissors to make a cut in a stem.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

crazydaz said:


> No, I'm not.....and neither is anyone else here on this site or anywhere. Perhaps there are people with "knacks," or have more of a natural "feel" for a tank, or have an "eye" for plant set ups or aquascapes. I kind of compare this hobby to growing a vegetable or flower garden. It's something that anyone can learn. There may be people that will take to the hobby a bit faster.....but if I (THEORETICALLY!!! ) gave you my lighting system, my substrate, tank, my CO2 system, my ferts, etc., it is my belief that within a few years anyone would have something either comparable or better than this. It's about practice and patience. In the end, it doesn't matter to the plant who is using the pair of scissors to trim it; it could be me, it could be Tom Barr, or Jason Baliban, or Takashi Amano, or Oliver Knott, or you. There are only so many ways to use the scissors to make a cut in a stem.


Very well stated.


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## Lil' Swimz$ (Jul 24, 2010)

Crazydaz! Ah! It looks so good!

Btw I love your new avatar hahaha.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks 2in10! I know people are being complimentary, and I do appreciate it. I remember being in awe of some of the scapes that Amano and Oliver Knott came out with shortly after I really got into this hobby. To a degree, I still am, but not as much as I used to be. This isn't to say that I'm on their "level" of aquascaping, by any means. They have an artistic gift for this, but they have a HUGE amount of resources that "Joe Average" does not have access to, and they have devoted their livelihoods to this hobby. Given the same resources and time that they have, I bet that most of us here could come pretty close to what they are able to do after a few years of researching and some trial and error. It isn't meant to belittle their talents, but I don't see what they do as "unapproachable" either.

It's really cool to see Tom Barr here being a regular and down to earth type of person. I frankly find people like him, Cavan Allen, Aaron Talbot, and a few others here much more impressive because they "teach," not just "show." There's a TON of talent here between the plant specialists, like Nick and Xue, the Mods, the Admins, the sponsors, the Tom Barr's. Everyone should be taking advantage of this and asking these people questions, either on their threads, or by PM'ing them. It is what this site was designed to do...not just show off pictures!!

For now, I am happy just being on the "Don Boyer" level of the hobby!! 

Lil' Swimz!--Thanks buddy!! Are you done with school now and just chillin' out and enjoying some R&R??

Thanks re: the avatar!! Not too many people are familiar with the Earl of Lemongrab. Glad to know that you noticed! LOL!!


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## Studman0143 (Mar 20, 2011)

Is there a comment you haven't received yet? 
Stunning tank. Looking through the past 20 pages, I enjoy looking at the control & thought you have very obviously put in to this. You have done a fantastic job controlling & placing so many species of plants. Really a great guideline of a tank for larger tanks wanting to plant several species & maintaining them well. So, in repetition, fantastic job.

As a side note, and sorry to take away from anything. If you ever have a smaller trim of the Rotala "Colorata" again I've always wanted to try it. I don't need a lot as my tanks are pretty full but I love its color. Also wouldn't mind some red root floaters if you have any extra. So just keep me in mind if you remember.

I'm now following your journal, gives me hope!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thank you Studman!  I appreciate it! Luckily, I haven't had to move too much around to accommodate all the species. It's been mostly thinning HUGE groups of Colorata or Kompact than moving a lot of plants around. It takes some planning to do, but it's generally worth it!

I don't see a problem a small grouping of Colorata and RRF in a few weeks. Shoot me a PM in two weeks, and I'll see what I can do, OK? It is likely that I will forget, so I'll need you to give me a hand with that!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Just a quick update.....

I just wanted to show what the tank looks like a few days before a major trim and how crowded it can become. Tons of floaters and fast growing stems tend to make it look cluttered, and I'll have to spend several hours on Monday getting plant packages out the door and everything else trimmed and cleaned. Usually, pics that I share are post-trim by a day or two; this time, I am reversing that.

Weeks where I don't offer plants usually are pretty light in maintenance as I can usually just "trim as I go" along with any water changes or quick clean.

It is also a gigantic pain when the cichlids choose a place to spawn, as neighboring plants are usually uprooted. They chose a spot behind the Persicaria "Kawagoeanum" this time. How lovely. :icon_evil

Got a few new crypts and buce's as well, but only managed a shot of the new crypt that I got from Nick last week. Cordata blassi. Also received, crypt Ideii, Hudori, and buce's 'Red Shoot" and "Theia 3." I also bought a really cool "nurii" that I've never seen before and Crypt schulzei "Mersing" from Xue. In the future, and the impending house buy and move, and a dog for the wife, I will be doing another large tank of just crypts and buces. I may have to switch this tank over to a "low light" set up as well, as I doubt I'll have the time necessary for a high light stem set up after kids get into the picture.

Enough "blab" from me! 

Left Side:









Back Left Side shot...you can see that the Ludwigia inclinata "Red" has started to grow nicely. These will be topped and offered for sale within a few weeks:









Front Left Side....the Ammania latifolia is a nice shade of orange!! Very pretty plant!:









Nice shot of my Crypt nurii mother:









Front...beginning to look messy:









Closer shot:









Crypt keei "Jambusan" patch:









Crypt affinis "Metallic Red" patch...this stuff is really taking off now!!:









The original mother that I received from Xue:









Hyptis:









Right Side:









Crypt blassi...with spathe (I think):









Thanks for looking, and have a nice weekend, All! Comments, criticisms welcome!


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## looking4roselines (Mar 28, 2008)

Wow looking good dude! YOU must have ideal water conditions. Nice spathe!!


Xue


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

Don,

That's a spathe indeed bro.  It might melt on you while transitioning because that plant was grown emersed. Then again, you got some magic going on in your tank so it may not melt at all . 

Your tank is one that I always love looking at simply because I use to be like you, planting everything I can into any spot they'll fit in lol (that's an art form if you ask me ). Just that you're doing a much more awesome job than I ever did, on a larger scale too. Keep it up brother! Next tank I want to see you work in some extensive hardscape material . Now you have a goal!


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

in the second shot, the back left, what is the plant with the large golden leaves all the way left? it looks kinda like h. corymbosa kompakt, but yellow.


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## vincenz (Jan 29, 2012)

Wow crazy, things are looking bushy! When're the plans being drawn up for that 6'x6'?


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## knuggs (Mar 5, 2007)

speedie408 said:


> Your tank is one that I always love looking at simply because I use to be like you, planting everything I can into any spot they'll fit in lol (that's an art form if you ask me ). Just that you're doing a much more awesome job than I ever did, on a larger scale too. Keep it up brother! Next tank I want to see you work in some extensive hardscape material . Now you have a goal!


I still do plant like that, but you definitely have it to a sophisticated art form roud: I love the color variations and the balance of them and how it even shows with the fish. Your balancing skills are professional. Wish I had the time to really commit to one tank like that. I started with 29g and 10gs and then started adding 40's and now have had a 75 for a couple months and bigger is the way too go if you ask me. I love the size and shape of your tanks, its the bees knees. Cant wait to find a permanent settlement to be able to have a tank like that, the only thing is stopping me is having to move it in a yr or two every so often. Sometimes I can also ramble on...


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thank you Xue and Nick! I doubt the spathe will last, but we will see! You both are responsible for feeding my addiction, so you guys have had a definitive hand in helping to get this tank to it's "out of control" state. The dimensions of the tank allow for this collectoritis to happen. Any smaller of a tank, or lack of "width," and I wouldn't be able to keep nearly as many species.

Nick--The frightening thing is that half the bottom area is already taken up by driftwood. You just can't see it. See the first set of pics on the first page. All of the hardscape is still in there with the exception of one smaller piece. I've added smaller pieces of driftwood, too, for buces, and some rock as well. I just can't quit planting plants though!  No plans on stopping!!

Hey Marko--That's just Kompact's "Big Brother": Hygrophila Corymbosa 'Stricta' under high lighting. I think that it is partially washed out in the photo too....it is a lighter green, and I have the orange-brown color on the top sets of leaves.

Thanks, Vincenz! The 6'x6' won't be built anytime soon, unless I get some sort of huge money bonus, or if I get a sponsor to help fund the thing. I don't see that happening though!  Maybe Amano or Oliver Knott will share a beer with me at the AGA meeting and agree to pay for it. (yeah, right!) I think it is a plan for after I retire (that will never happen either!) or when the kids move out.

Knuggs--Thanks for the compliments, brother!  I think that there a lot of current or "former" artists out there....I probably dabbled in drawing and pastels to train my eye a bit. The trick in this tank is to balance the reds out...there are so many that it can be a little complicated, but it isn't that big of a deal. This tank is expensive, but it wasn't "awful." You might be surprised...see if a local aquarium shop will custom one for you with corner bracing, and see if you can make your own stand and lighting system. As you say, "bigger" is always better, I think. Perhaps "bigger is easier" fits better. And, like you, I wouldn't even consider building my 6'x6' tank until I knew for certain that I wasn't going to be moving for at least 7-10 years. Just isn't worth it.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Amazing.


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## Chaos_Being (May 18, 2010)

What an incredible burst of colors. Very very impressive.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Chao and Devin!!! 

PS--Devin, send me a PM when your article has been published with a link, please!! Or, you can post it on this thread too! I don't mind a thread-jack for buddy!


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## Alastair-T (Jun 5, 2011)

This looks fantastic now. Even better than when I last read up on it. Gorgeous you must be very pleased. It's making me want to switch mine to co2 again 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thank you Alastair!! You should make the switch back to CO2; the colors can't be beat! It is a bit more work, but I guess that there are trade offs to everything, right?


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Awesome as always, your plant colors are so vivid and varied.


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## Alastair-T (Jun 5, 2011)

crazydaz said:


> Thank you Alastair!! You should make the switch back to CO2; the colors can't be beat! It is a bit more work, but I guess that there are trade offs to everything, right?


Couldn't have said it better myself. I'm waiting until my puddle fills in then having another square shallow tabk made but bigger. Then I'll go back to co2 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

You should have one of both!! Square/cubes are the way to go....and if you have the time, it's pretty fantastic to be able to see three different sides full of color and different leaf textures!!


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## shrimpNewbie (May 6, 2011)

do you seriously still have this running? this tank is un freaking believable, i can't help to want some cuttings from you haha


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks ShrimpNewbie! You just missed a trimming sale I had last week  probably have another one in a few weeks....


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

very nice Don!!! so colorful!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Han!!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

A few comparison shots, as I posted pics last week prior to a large trim that I completed this morning....

Left Side Pre-trim:









Left Side Post-trim:









Right Side Pre-trim:









Right Side Post-trim:









Front Pre-trim:









Front Post-trim:









Closer view of front pre-trim:









Closer view of front post-trim....the large formation of aerial roots is a bit unsightly, but I can usually get a few "toppings" out of every planted group before I have to re-plant the group. Definitely easier, and the color is always spectacular!!:









Of course, there is a benefit of doing the trim....you get to see the various rows of anubias species on the driftwood that are normally hidden by the stems:









Fun with lines!:









I don't believe in "Golden Ratios" or "Thirds" or anything like that. It's fine if you do, but as this is strictly a "hobby" for me, I don't want to have to worry about following rules, or "coloring inside the lines" for someone else. However, as you can see in the picture above, there are many lines that compliment and contrast one another. Lines that "compliment" one another usually help draw the eye around the photograph, and lines the "contrast" one another usually indicate a grouping of plants or delineation of species. As time progresses and the plants put on more growth, there become more contrasting lines than complimentary ones, as groupings of plants become bigger and more colorful. As a result, the viewer's eye becomes more focused on plant groupings and colors, and less on the overall "flow" of the planting because the complimentary lines are more subtle. After a trim, usually the opposite is true....the complimentary lines are more dominant, and as a result, the viewer is more prone to hunt for an overall "flow" to the tank than speak of colors or species delineation.

My thoughts are that Iwagumi tanks bring out complimentary lines, flow nicely, and elicit a peaceful response from the viewer. Dutch tanks bring out contrasting lines, have beautiful coloration, and allow the viewer's eye to naturally jump from plant species to plant species in order to see what all in "in there," so to speak.

I use these lines, rarely, to adjust angles and viewpoints, as it can be difficult to remain appreciably focused after hours of trimming. So, I took a picture, and will use this to give me mental notes over the coming weeks as to what needs to be trimmed, and to what extent of trimming needs to be done. I will be shifting my angles to draw the viewer towards the Staurogyne repens first, then "out and around" the plants and the rest of the tank.

Thoughts?


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## shrimpNewbie (May 6, 2011)

Please let me know your plants are so far the best I have seen, what plant is in the foreground on the right side of the tank, is green with redish orange coloration on the leaves it's awesome


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks shrimp!! That's just plain ol' Rotala Colorata...the light is so bright in my tank that it will creep and get nice coloration even at the bottom of the tank. I train it to grow mostly as a bush though. I usually sell that once a month by the handful for about $5. This is NOT to be confused with the Rotala mexicana "goias" that I have growing in several spots in the tank as well, which has similar colors.


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## Alastair-T (Jun 5, 2011)

crazydaz said:


> You should have one of both!! Square/cubes are the way to go....and if you have the time, it's pretty fantastic to be able to see three different sides full of color and different leaf textures!!


I wish I could. The semi cube I have now takes up a fair bit of room already, couldn't have that plus an even bigger one in the same room ha ha. I want to go really big like 5ftx5ftx30cm high which won't fit with my chocolate Puddle. 

Your tank even post trim looks amazing. The colours are fantastic 


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

crazydaz said:


> Thanks shrimp!! That's just plain ol' Rotala Colorata...the light is so bright in my tank that it will creep and get nice coloration even at the bottom of the tank. I train it to grow mostly as a bush though. I usually sell that once a month by the handful for about $5. This is NOT to be confused with the Rotala mexicana "goias" that I have growing in several spots in the tank as well, which has similar colors.


great deal; especially since the plant is clearly thriving, and the healthier the plant, the quicker the cuttings can establish in the new tank. 
i think i need to find a spot in my tank to place this plant in...


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Alastair! I think you could do one more tank!! What about a 3'x3'x12"?

Marko! Give me a shout when you are ready! There should be a nice grouping or two (or five) to sell next week....just let me know!


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## ophiophagus (Mar 5, 2012)

This tank blows me away every time you post pics. Fantastic I'm super jealous


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## shrimpNewbie (May 6, 2011)

Can you please keep me in mind for a bunch of it it's awesome looking


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## Lil' Swimz$ (Jul 24, 2010)

Hey crazydaz  Your tank is da bomb diggity LOL

If this has been posted somewhere I apologize, but what is your pH kH and gH?


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Ophio!! Don't be too jealous...it can be a lot of work, especially if I'm selling plants. Takes at least 2 hours to get the stems for the packages trimmed, cleaned, and packaged appropriately, then I have to go back in, finish trimming, net out debris, clean the glass, net out debris, do a quick water change, and net out debris one last time. Then fertilize, feed the fish, etc. That can make for some very long days.

Shrimp---Just send me a reminder PM sometime during the latter part of this coming week, please! Thanks!

Lil' Swimz---Thanks bro! Haven't heard that one since I was in high school.  LOL! What goes out of style, sooner or later, comes back in style! Next thing you know, kids will be saying "radical!" and "tubular" again! Or maybe not...

Anyhow, to address your question: I don't know. I don't take readings....to me, it's a waste of time and energy trying to "control" everything all the time. I can usually get a good idea what the conditions are like based on what will grow well in there at any given time. I have Ludwigia inclinata "Red," Nesaea crassicaulis, and Crypt "yuji" growing well in there, which tells me that my water conditions are at least slightly acidic and at least slightly soft....otherwise, none of those plants would be thriving right now. My guess would be the pH around 6.8-ish, probably closer to lower 6.0 during the day, gH around 6-8, and kH around 4-6 (probably towards the upper end of those ranges). Probably nothing "extreme," or the Rainbow cichlids would not live to well, they wouldn't spawn, and their wigglers wouldn't survive....I've had wigglers last for weeks in that tank, and I even spotted a cichlid juvenile in there two days ago. They tend towards neutral pH's, kH's, and gH's.


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## sidefunk (Apr 22, 2010)

Wow, I think this is some of the best color I have ever seen. Thanks for sharing this awesome tank.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks sidefunk!! It's my pleasure to share!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Well, I was able to get my P. "Kawagoeanum" to bloom underwater, which I found a little interesting. This stem that has flowers never touched the surface of the water, much less had spent any time growing emerged. I've seen it flower above the surface before, but not in this tank.

Not sure how common this is for it to flower underwater, but I've never seen it before, so I thought that I would share. You can see both "buds" and white blooms.

If you happen to know, please comment as to whether this happens frequently, sometimes, or hardly ever because I honestly don't know.

Thanks!


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## Kathyy (Feb 22, 2010)

My Kawagoeanum set buds but they didn't open, haven't had them open above water either. Pretty. It is the only plant I have had that is supposed to have aerial flowers that developed buds underwater unless a sword plant did years ago.


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## wastedtime (Oct 27, 2011)

This is an amazing looking tank. I cant believe i havent posted in this thread ever. I am amazed at how you can get the reds to be like that.


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## Termato (Apr 12, 2012)

Wow just beautiful! Absolutely beautiful. I love the different colors on all the plants. Wow.

Do you have any videos of this tank?


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Kathyy....I've had a few stems of this and "Sao Paulo" set buds beneath the surface of the water, but never flower underwater. The only other plant that I got to flower submersed was Stargrass one time.

Thanks VJ....remember to PM me re: your plants in a little bit! I could probably get everything out to you on 7/15 before I leave for St. Louis on business. I just need to be reminded!

Hi Termato!! Thank you! I do not have any videos of the tank....no video camera of any quality other than my iPad and phone....so it would make the tank look grainy. I may end up getting a video camera soon, and if I do, I will take some video then.  Not sure if taking video of plants will be very interesting, but I will oblige if I have the appropriate tools!


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

That is amazing. Obviously the next thing in aquascaping will be random drug testing.


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## wastedtime (Oct 27, 2011)

crazydaz said:


> Thanks VJ....remember to PM me re: your plants in a little bit! I could probably get everything out to you on 7/15 before I leave for St. Louis on business. I just need to be reminded!


roud: I have a reminder set for the 12th of July.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Awesome congrats, I had stargrass and Anubias open underwater and Echinodorus and Aponogeton above water.


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## looking4roselines (Mar 28, 2008)

That under water kawagoanum bloom is pretty awesome Don
Now I cannot wait to see your crypts bloom under water


Xue


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks 2in10! Anubias isn't hard to have flower underwater, and buce's aren't that difficult either.....that stargrass is a nice accomplishment, though!! The small purple-blue flowers are really pretty, and they will flower readily if the stargrass hangs out near the surface for a while. Quite a bit more difficult if it is an inch below the surface though, as you know!!

Aponogeton blooms are really nice!! Pollen tends to float on the surface, though! 

Xue--Thanks bro! I wouldn't hold your breath, though!  That's going to be difficult to do so far below the surface in this tank. I will be amazed if I ever get a crypt to flower submersed!! Never know, I guess!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

This just in......

The wife/boss lady says that I can get another new tank as soon as we move into a new house.

Any suggestions as to size, dimensions? This will be a low light set up, mainly for buce's, crypts, and some nano ferns/Fissidens.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Wow you must be doing something right, congrats. Room sized?:icon_twis

Good question so many possibilities. I know my current dream tank would be 8'x4'x2' or 2.5'.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Lol!!! I don't think that she will go for "room -sized," John!  Lol!!

I think that I need to keep things a bit smaller for the next one. I'm thinking "cube" or square again. Maybe a 4'x4'x12"? Or, I could go with a traditional cube of 90gallons, or perhaps a bit larger.

My dream tank would be a 6'x6'x20"tall. It will never happen, though!


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Those will both neat tanks


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## Alastair-T (Jun 5, 2011)

4x4 will be a good size mate. Another co2 tank too? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## ps3steveo (Apr 22, 2011)

Very Very beautiful, Dutch scaping is one of the hardest scapes to get the hang of IMO, job well done there.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

I think that I'm leaning towards another square tank....3'x3'x14"Tall. I'll try building it myself....maybe... 

Alastair--I think I will do pressurized CO2, even though it will probably be a lower light set up. It still helps with growth, and keeps algae issues at bay. Another 4'x4' would be a bit too much for me, and probably test my wife's patience. I'm not going to do that!!! She could say something along the lines of "Well, then.....how about NO tanks?!"  Any you know that if she made it an issue, that I would inevitably have to give in.

Thanks ps3stevo!! Not sure I'd call this a true "dutch" style....more of a "collectoritis" style with plant grouping here and there!

Shameful plug.....I still have two Crypt affinis Metallic Red's for sale, and I can't believe that they've last so long on my For Sale thread. If anyone is interested, let me know via PM!


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## keithy (Jun 8, 2010)

Don, 
any updates on the tank? Hey, I'll PM you for some questions later today. :icon_lol:.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Hey Kool Keith!

Nothing really....I've been on vacation for a few weeks, and was in St. Louis this past week for work. I have a big trim tomorrow for some plant sales, so I will try to take a few pics tomorrow and later this coming week for some comparison pics.

Also learned that I will be in New York the same weekend the AGA conference is happening, which is lousy. bah! Stupid job!


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## LICfish (Oct 9, 2010)

This tank is AMAZING!!!!! Absolutely beautiful!


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

woah, so colorful..... you have a very nice tank! (and a nice avatar :icon_wink)


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## Ashok (Dec 11, 2006)

wow that is an amazing tank


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## looking4roselines (Mar 28, 2008)

we need some updates!


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## wacky (Jun 4, 2012)

*Beautiful Tank .....*

I have look at this tank several times and every time I want to make a comment ..... it is big and beautiful .... I love it ..... every time i look, I see something different ..... so cool!!!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Gee, thanks for the comments guys! :icon_redf I always feel a little blushed when I get many compliments at one time, and I appreciate it! . Thank you!

I will get some pictures up this Sunday or Monday. I let the stems get really long for a little sales last weekend, so it looks a bit "rooty" in there right now. I have some nice new growth forming now, and just waiting for it to become a bit more apparent. Still looks a bit too mangled from the last trim.


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

Does your mail man hate you yet?


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## Alastair-T (Jun 5, 2011)

Craigthor said:


> Does your mail man hate you yet?


Ha ha that tickled me lol. 
Looking forward to an update this weekend mate. Love this tank 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Sorry for the delay....it's been a busy month's time for me and my wife. We went on a nice vacation together with my folks in Ashville, NC, and then I started my new job with a new company three weeks ago. So, I've been busting some major tail to impress my new boss, and the wife and I just closed on a new house last week.....just haven't had much time or energy to be on the site for a while. Luckily, it's been for good, positive reasons!

You will notice that the tank is in need of a trim, so I'll probably be posting a For Sale thread over the next day or two. I shudder to think what that means for me for next weekend, but I'll deal with. Pending tomorrow's inspection, this tank is heading towards the "home stretch." I'll have to re-do it at the new place.

I'm also looking at building another large tank, which I am hoping will surpass this one. It won't happen until the late fall or winter, but I have been quietly collecting my materials for it.

Here are the latest rounds of photos:

A few shots of the front:


















Front...Left half:









Front....Right half:









Left side:




































Oblique:









Right Side:




































Ludwigia grandulosa stems have been going ape lately. Not sure why:


















Thanks everyone! Have a nice week!


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## pandacory (Apr 18, 2011)

Dang...


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## looking4roselines (Mar 28, 2008)

Beautiful tank. You got mad stem growing skills
Congrats on closing escrow.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Panda and Xue!

Ugh....if I can just make it through the inspection and closing, I'll be happy!


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## matty26 (Feb 25, 2011)

I don't think you have enough plants


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## CmLaracy (Jan 7, 2007)

very impressed by what you've done with these dimensions. Also impressed that you got me to like a Dutch scape. great colors, design, and execution.


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## if_fishes_were_wishes (Jul 29, 2007)

Gorgeous, just stunning. Mind = blown.


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

That carpet of _Rotala mexicana 'goias'_ is absolutely stunning!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Matty--That's purely subjective. 

Cm--Thanks buddy!! It's a challenge, sometimes, to get all three sides looking nice, but not too bad once you get the hang of it. The next set up probably won't be so stem-heavy and will be less colorful, so probably more of a challenge for me to do well. I'm kind of toying with the idea of going Iwagumi with this thing after my move. Not too sure, though.

IFWW--Thanks a bunch!  I am flattered that you like it!

Philip--Thank pal! It turned out to be a pleasant surprise for me, and got much "redder" than I thought that it would. Fast grower, though! I'm always trimming it.


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## wacky (Jun 4, 2012)

Wow ..... beautiful aqua scape ..... beautiful tank!!!


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

Whats the plan for stocking once the cichlids go bye-bye?i


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Wacky!

Hey kwheeler! No idea, yet. It will probably depend on what I plan on doing with this tank. It's been suggested that Keyholes might be fun to try, or Checkerboards, in conjoint with a tetra specie. I'm still open to suggestions, though!


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## garloki72 (Oct 31, 2010)

A group of checkerboards will look amazing with a big group of rummynoses IMO.


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

Slap a largemouth in there and call it a day  

But seriously, a pike cichlid/endler combo would be awesome. Live food and tons of enjoyment from some colorful fish. plus you could make some money off the fish as well as the plants, if you grow enough cover of course, and we all know how bad you are with plants...


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## Capsaicin_MFK (Nov 15, 2009)

My jaw dropped when I read that you have 12 T5HO lights over this tank. 

I give this tank 10/10, good job.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

garlocki--not going to do Rummies....I worry that they'll all die, and I don't want anything that picky about the water conditions. I know, too, that it is somewhat of a "mistruth" regarding their hardiness, but I just don't want to even try. Not a bad suggestions, though!  Thank you for chiming in....that's another vote for Checkerboards...

Kwheeler---That would be really cool to have a tank big enough to house a bass in there, even a smallmouth!! Not a bad idea re: Pike cichlid...I hadn't considered that. Probably will never get into the fish selling biz...too much to do, and wish I had that type of time! LOL!

Capsaicin---It's only twelve of them!!  It is a bit "gluttonous" but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Thanks for the compliment too!!


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

Your tank is probably my favorite.


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## keithy (Jun 8, 2010)

Don, 
Congrats on your new job and home! Can't wait to see you set up your upcoming project. Let me know if you need anything from me bro. 

keithy


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## PinkRasbora (Jan 22, 2005)

I just found this tank, and good lord!!! I dont say this often but that thing is huge! lol

Amazing tank, is it hard to keep up with something of that magnitude?


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks JeremyTR!! I appreciate the compliment!

Keithy--thanks for the offer, and I will let you know if I need your help! It is going to be a busy two months! 

PinkRasbora-- thank you! It really isn't too bad to keep up with....day to day stuff and the cleanings/water changes are a cinch. Maybe a little time consuming, but easy. It's the massive trimmings that are painfully long and somewhat tedious. Seems like I'm netting out tiny little leaves for a week!


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## bklyn (Jun 21, 2011)

wow, stunning!!! 
how do you diffuse co2 in your tank? do you have crazy high co2 since you have pretty high light intensity?


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks bklyn! I have my CO2 connected to a needle wheel pump which injects the CO2 "spray" into the tank via spraybar. I run at a 4 bubbles/sec rate, which isn't "low," but I don't consider it to be very high amount either. "Average" amount, or so.


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

I'm always amazed at the amount of red you're able to get out of these plants whenever I peep into this thread. Never cease to amaze me bro. The growth you get is always so explosive and healthy! What type of magic potion are you pouring in there dude? lol


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## wetbizquit (Jul 9, 2006)

still absolutely stunning this tank has always amazed me, such great organization and growth, how do you do it? whats your secret??! also if you have any trimmings you want to get rid of i would love em


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## Jeromeit (Sep 30, 2011)

Don, it gets better and better bro.. once again great job. I gotta hit u up for a few stems during your next trim =] will PM ya haha


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Nick!--Thanks buddy! Nothing magical...mostly, the coloration just comes from frequent, but small, doses of iron and phospate, great lighting, a nice CO2 mist, and an iron-rich substrate. Good trimming skills probably help somewhat, and otherwise, it's just being a little patient with things, and letting the plants do what they do. Too much tinkering with the system usually leads to problems. I guess I'm pretty good at netting out debris that would otherwise start leeching nutrients back into the water column, which would lead to all sorts of algae issues. But, again, nothing "magical"! 
LOL!! Thanks for the compliment, Nick!!

wetbizquit--Thank you! There's no "secret" (see above). Mostly, it's just a testament to routine maintenance and attention, but nothing outlandish. I noticed that the plants seem to do better, and I have less algae problems, by dosing ferts more frequently, but in small volumes. So, I started doing that. I had better results changing out less water during my water changes, so I started doing that, and so on. You have to grow and adapt to the tank instead of demanding the plants act according to your schedule or "rules."

Thanks Jeromeit! Any time you want stems, let me know! That is, before I have to take it down in a few weeks.


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## bklyn (Jun 21, 2011)

crazydaz said:


> Thanks bklyn! I have my CO2 connected to a needle wheel pump which injects the CO2 "spray" into the tank via spraybar. I run at a 4 bubbles/sec rate, which isn't "low," but I don't consider it to be very high amount either. "Average" amount, or so.


I read from previous posts that you dose extra Fe and P, very little N, how much K and trace element do you dose?


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Ahem. Less than the Fe and P. *Cough*

Not sure what to tell you, bklyn.....I eyeball my ferts, adding pinches of dry ferts to plastic jugs and then adding water to dissolve them. I dose out of those. I don't keep or take readings on my water column, or anything else for that matter. I would say that this tank is the culmination of a few weeks of trial and error in conjoint with 10 years of knowledge and practice. IMO only, I feel that people worry about, and rely on, specific amounts, quantities, pH's, and so on expecting wonderful results. It's too rigid for me, and expensive. I found a way that works best for me and this set up, and when I redo it, I will have to see what I need to do a bit differently depending on what plants are in there, and what grows well and what problems I see. Different systems requires slight adjustments...and every tank is unique. There is no one method that is perfect for all tanks, just general guidelines.

Truth be known, the amounts of nitrogen I add are probably "normal," but certainly less than the phosphates I add, probably by about a bit more than 2:1 ratio. Potassium is about on par with the amount of nitrogen I add, and Trace is about the same as well, but added on different days.


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## knuggs (Mar 5, 2007)

Oh no! Why do you have to take it down? You mean stems or tank?


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

"tank." Pending any unforeseen disaster, the wife and I should own and close on a home on 9/14/12 with a move-in date by 10/15/12. The new house is only a few miles away, and I am hoping that some of my buddies from the local club will be able to help me tear it down and move it. We'll see....it's going to be nerve-wracking!

I'm also considering to go to a lower light system as well, so it may be the last of the stems as well. As much as I hate to say it.


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## knuggs (Mar 5, 2007)

Congrats on the new home! I'm in the same boat, got a offer out now. It's exciting! Best of luck with the move! Are you going to take the substrate out? 

I've been transitioning out of them stem myself, becomes too much after awhile to keep up with them. That and my bulbs are getting old. So, it's either spend a bunch of money on fresh bulbs or work with what I got. Been on a Buce kick lately. It will be very interesting to see what you do with lower light! If you decide to do it. Would be hard for me if I was you cuz that's a gorgeous tank!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Lucas! Life is good just extremely chaotic right now. Best of luck to you as well!

I am going to take out everything except for the kitty litter. It'll be stuck on there pretty well, so I don't think that it will pose an issue. I think I only put in 10 or 15 lbs of kitty litter in there anyhow.

It's so tempting to get rid of all the stems, but we'll see how it goes. I doubt that I can part with them until I get my next tank this fall or winter. When the wife gets preggers, I doubt that I'll have enough time to deal with a high light stem plant tank.


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## pandacory (Apr 18, 2011)

Don't worry, I take donations. :hihi:


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Lol! I'm sure you would, panda!!  That's a pretty common offer around here! I appreciate your help!!


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## garloki72 (Oct 31, 2010)

Good thing you have friends to help! Imagine if it was only by yourself?


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

I've done it before....it was a total CRAP of a day, but it got done. To just much easier to have the help! ,plus, nobody has ever seen the tank in person before...so it will be a bit validating for me!


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## pandacory (Apr 18, 2011)

A friend in need is a friend indeed!

In all seriousness though, if I were in your area I would help just for the opportunity to see this train chugging...although I wouldn't turn down a nice tip, especially in the form of a rare crypt!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

That might be arranged. In theory, of course.


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

I still want to be a fish and swim in your tank. such awesomeness! If you were closer, i'd give you a hand as well. Youre take a step in the right direction. I made the leap two weeks ago into my own house and the DYI's sort of never stop from there on so be prepared.

Best of Luck!


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## darkoon (Nov 11, 2010)

when you say more p than n, is it more in terms of ppm? and how much roughly do you dose for each?



crazydaz said:


> Ahem. Less than the Fe and P. *Cough*
> 
> Not sure what to tell you, bklyn.....I eyeball my ferts, adding pinches of dry ferts to plastic jugs and then adding water to dissolve them. I dose out of those. I don't keep or take readings on my water column, or anything else for that matter. I would say that this tank is the culmination of a few weeks of trial and error in conjoint with 10 years of knowledge and practice. IMO only, I feel that people worry about, and rely on, specific amounts, quantities, pH's, and so on expecting wonderful results. It's too rigid for me, and expensive. I found a way that works best for me and this set up, and when I redo it, I will have to see what I need to do a bit differently depending on what plants are in there, and what grows well and what problems I see. Different systems requires slight adjustments...and every tank is unique. There is no one method that is perfect for all tanks, just general guidelines.
> 
> Truth be known, the amounts of nitrogen I add are probably "normal," but certainly less than the phosphates I add, probably by about a bit more than 2:1 ratio. Potassium is about on par with the amount of nitrogen I add, and Trace is about the same as well, but added on different days.


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## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

Without measurement it's hard to take away much information from this particular setup. With the sheer amount of light and relatively little co2 being injected my guess would be that the plants a being limited by nitrates and possibly other factors. 

Hard to say for sure because the ferts are being dosed by feel, so not much can be known for sure. 

Beautiful tank, obviously whatever crazydaz is doing is working. I just wouldn't try to copy the setup.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

acitydweller! Thanks for the advice man, and congratulations to you on your new home!! I'm looking forward to getting the move over with!

Darkoon--my best estimate is that I add 8 grams of P to 4 grams of N, of dry powder, which are then dissolved into 2 quarts of water. I dose anywhere between 20%-25% of this solution into my tank, per dose. 

With certainty, you should read jcgd's comment, though! I don't think that the amount of CO2 is "little"....you just don't need to run at such a high bubbles/second rate if you can get a nice CO2 "mist" along with good flow. 

One thing that has always bothered me is this total reliance on measurements and "exactness" or "preciseness" in this hobby. There's no "soul" to it, in my opinion only. You can use dosing calculators, pH testers, gH and kH measurements, the best lighting, until you are blue in the face and out hundreds of dollars, and you still can end up with average to below average results. To often, people in this hobby hand out advice that is taken as "law," and it doesn't work that way.

What is frustrating to me is to see so many people trying to mathematically create a great looking tank using these "rules" of thirds, dosing calculators, drop checkers. They aren't rules...they are suggestions that have worked well for other people, and MAY work for you. There are no perfect solutions to making a great looking plant tank; what works for me may or may not work well for you, and you simply have to deal with it. My approach is unorthodox because I got so tired of following someone else's "Rules" for a perfect tank to a "T," spending all sorts of money to do so, and still ended up having the same problems as before.

Use your brains and wisdom instead of following someone else's rules. If anything, that is my "magic."


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## darkoon (Nov 11, 2010)

crazydaz said:


> acitydweller! Thanks for the advice man, and congratulations to you on your new home!! I'm looking forward to getting the move over with!
> 
> Darkoon--my best estimate is that I add 8 grams of P to 4 grams of N, of dry powder, which are then dissolved into 2 quarts of water. I dose anywhere between 20%-25% of this solution into my tank, per dose.
> 
> ...


not trying to copy the set up, every tank is different. but trying to understand what environment brings the redness in the plants. i have heard low N, high light, or extra Fe. apparently you have all three above. based on the number you gave about N and P you dose, it appears that your N is extremely low, may not even be enough according to what most people suggested, but surprisingly your plants do not seem to have any deficiency.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

> not trying to copy the set up, every tank is different. but trying to understand what environment brings the redness in the plants. i have heard low N, high light, or extra Fe. apparently you have all three above. based on the number you gave about N and P you dose, it appears that your N is extremely low, may not even be enough according to what most people suggested, but surprisingly your plants do not seem to have any deficiency.


I meant no offense, darkoon! I was speaking in general terms, and you are more than welcome to do copy this tank or not copy it as you wish! 

Similar to you, I've heard the same thing, but there are others here that say that great red coloration only comes from adequate to "normal" levels of nitrogen. The reasoning is that unless there is enough nitrogen, the plants will not grow, and what's the point of having a bunch of really red colored dying stems in your tank? I would say the my tank isn't nitrogen deficient....keep in mind that given a healthy, well planted tank the plants can effectively use the nitrogen in fish waste as well, in addition to whatever nitrogen is dosed. I also dose nitrogen at least twice per week, and usually three times per week. I think that there is just the abundance of P and Fe versus the lack of N.

Does this make more sense, perhaps?


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## knuggs (Mar 5, 2007)

crazydaz said:


> One thing that has always bothered me is this total reliance on measurements and "exactness" or "preciseness" in this hobby. There's no "soul" to it, in my opinion only. You can use dosing calculators, pH testers, gH and kH measurements, the best lighting, until you are blue in the face and out hundreds of dollars, and you still can end up with average to below average results. To often, people in this hobby hand out advice that is taken as "law," and it doesn't work that way.
> 
> What is frustrating to me is to see so many people trying to mathematically create a great looking tank using these "rules" of thirds, dosing calculators, drop checkers. They aren't rules...they are suggestions that have worked well for other people, and MAY work for you. There are no perfect solutions to making a great looking plant tank; what works for me may or may not work well for you, and you simply have to deal with it. My approach is unorthodox because I got so tired of following someone else's "Rules" for a perfect tank to a "T," spending all sorts of money to do so, and still ended up having the same problems as before.
> 
> Use your brains and wisdom instead of following someone else's rules. If anything, that is my "magic."


True Story! 100% agreed! If I have learned anything in my years in the hobby and owning multiple tanks is what you just said. Every tank has its own personality and can have multiple ones all the time. Hints why the word balance is thrown around so often.

Learning adjustments comes with personal experience, but its good to have some guidelines.


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## darkoon (Nov 11, 2010)

crazydaz said:


> I meant no offense, darkoon! I was speaking in general terms, and you are more than welcome to do copy this tank or not copy it as you wish!
> 
> Similar to you, I've heard the same thing, but there are others here that say that great red coloration only comes from adequate to "normal" levels of nitrogen. The reasoning is that unless there is enough nitrogen, the plants will not grow, and what's the point of having a bunch of really red colored dying stems in your tank? I would say the my tank isn't nitrogen deficient....keep in mind that given a healthy, well planted tank the plants can effectively use the nitrogen in fish waste as well, in addition to whatever nitrogen is dosed. I also dose nitrogen at least twice per week, and usually three times per week. I think that there is just the abundance of P and Fe versus the lack of N.
> 
> Does this make more sense, perhaps?



none taken. i also figured fish waste and uneaten food would be another source of N in your tank. Since you dose similar amount of K to N, and there is no other natural source to supplement it, it could be one of the reasons for redness.


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## Jiinx (May 28, 2012)

just found this beautiful tank. Simply stunning. It's literally art in water.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Lucas, it's completely true! I remember my first planted tanks, and it was a comedy of errors. Then the next set of tanks offered unique challenges, but we're a little bit better, and so on and so. This tank did not start out very well either, and they rarely do for me. But instead of freaking out, I just applied what I've learned, tried a few things, took what worked from that, applied a few more things, and things took off. The next setup in October will be unique as well.

I think when you remember what the "E" in EI stands, it becomes clear that this hobby isn't an exact science! 

Darkoom-- good! I was a little worried that I had implied a negative connotation in response to your initial question, and I did not mean to come across that way. I am sorry.

I agree with you...the fish food, too, would be another source of nitrogen. And the K:N ratio likely does impact the colors in a favorable way! But, it isn't often that you come across this type of lighting either!! I would love for a chemist to come over to my house one day, take samples from my tank water and fert dilutions, and say "oh, this is why your reds are so pronounced," or something like that. From a chemist standpoint, it would be interesting to learn the logic behind the results. Just don't ask me to figure it out. :hihi:

Thanks Jinx!! I'm glad that you like it!!


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## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

crazydaz said:


> I would love for a chemist to come over to my house one day, take samples from my tank water and fert dilutions, and say "oh, this is why your reds are so pronounced," or something like that. From a chemist standpoint, it would be interesting to learn the logic behind the results. Just don't ask me to figure it out. :hihi:


It would be easy enough, really. The light is up to you to measure, you'd need a par meter. Then you could simply throw together your fert mix, but measure what amount of each fert you use before you add the water. Eyeball (like usual) and then quickly measure it for use. Estimate what you add per dose (you said four doses per mix before) and we can get your water report ourselves.

Bob's your uncle and then we'd have data. 

My guess would be the light is intense, probably in the 400+umol range (up to much more that 400). I would guess nitrates are rather low, I bet you run less than 5ppm. Enough, but not high... pulling out the reds. I would also bet the phosphates are sufficient to be non limiting, but the co2 probably isn't all that high (relative to a range of 10-100pm), maybe 20-25ppm. The tank is also absolutely packed with plants, and that would completely help to keep algae at bay, even with all that lighting. 

This all of course is just a guess on my part, and I could be way off or completely wrong.

Just because a certain thing is limiting doesn't mean there will be deficiencies. Phosphate limiting can slow growth and lower co2 demand and will usually only show a bit of GDA and nice growth with lower co2 levels. I did this one for a while. I added Fleet enema to my macro solution to nearly double my phosphates and within three days all my sensitive plants had stunted. I was running EI, but on the lean end and I had rather high light. So, I bumped the co2, quite a bit working my way up over a week and some. Now things started growing well, but the reds started coming out. I believe that the nitrates were somewhat limiting. 

My point is, there a many ways to skin a horse and this here tank is a perfect example. The colours are absolutely glorious. Tom's tank is a different beast and has wicked growth and colour as well.

It would be nice to know what is going on here with a little more detail. Hint, hint.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

^+1, jcgd! I agree with what you are saying...your logic seems quite reasonable to me, and I suppose that there is no harm in taking some simple measurements for those of us who are curious about such details. I will do that for the next setup.

And indeed you are correct in pointing out that there are many, many ways to reach the same endpoint in this hobby. Mine is just one of those possible routes, and it is only the preferred route for me.

Nicely put!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

I'm winding this tank down; the move will happen on Sept. 29th, and the tank will have to be broken down, emptied, packaged up, and cleaned out. The new house is only a few miles away, which burns me up a little bit, but I should be able to save all my crypts and buce's without a problem. Unfortunately, I am getting rid of almost all my stems.....I just need a bit of a break from such a high growth set up, especially since the wife and I are trying to start a brood, I won't have the time. I may start a small 90G cube and go with some stems in there, but that won't be for a little while.

I'll have one or two more sales over the coming few weeks where I'll be selling almost all of my stems, and maybe my anubias as well. Someone already has dibs on the Staurogyne repens and a chunk of the Rotala mexicana "goias." I'll post an appropriate thread when necessary, in the For Sale forum.

The stems that I plan on keeping would be my Ludwigia alatas and Ammania latifolia, and possibly my Hygro lancea. I'll probably hang on to some of my hygros to help with the transition and suck up nutrients so I won't have any algae issues, but eventually, this new set up will likely be a few types of slow growing stems, rare crypts and buce's. Oh, and my Sag platyphylla, which is a sweet plant! In fact, it sent up a stalk about 2-3 days ago, and gave some nice flowers:




























Pretty nifty!


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

Going with slower growing plants next? 

Bout time you toss in the towel! haha j/k I know how labor intensive a stem tank could be, but your tank is much bigger than what I had when I was doing stems so I could only imagine the work involved trimming such a big tank full of stems lol. You'll miss those dreaded stems, but you'll be able to breath better now and yes, work on that brood. They're much more fun to play with .


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## looking4roselines (Mar 28, 2008)

If I was closer, I would lend a hand. Any words on escrow? I guess it's a done deal huh?

Do you have any ideas on your next layout? It appears to me that you are starting to become an aroid fanatic. Have you ever considered a layout with wood poking out of the water with Epiphytic aroids partially emerged on the wood filled with moss? I think this would be awesome. 


Xue


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

HI Nick!! Yeah, it's not that it takes "forever" to maintain this tank....it's just that a little bit has to be done every two or three days. So, it's becoming a bit of a chore, so maybe it's time to switch things up for a while. The tank needs to be more "relaxing" and not as "taxing." I don't know if I agree with you on the playing with the kids comment, though. I used to have a type of algae eater (four years ago or so) that would school around my arms and hands and scrape any dead skin off. NOW THAT was fun!!!  The future kids have a high standard to attain!! 

Hi Xue! Yeah, everything is fine! I'm a bit surprised, actually, that things have gone so smoothly (knock on wood!).....the house inspection turned out very well, and the bank moved on with the appraisal, so we are still on target to close on 9/14. Then, we are having the main floor redone with hardwood, then the movers have to come after that and bring the heavy stuff over. It's a done deal, I hope!

I have considered using the my driftwood again, but I also have most of Craig's rock now. I was planning on setting up the next tank using his base rock with Seiryu and letting buce's go nuts on that, and have the substrate planted with mostly crypts, and a few of the slow growing stems.

What do you think? What about fish selection?


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## SpecGrrl (Jul 26, 2012)

I am glad that we witnessed this glorious kingdom in its heyday!


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

SpecGrrl said:


> I am glad that we witnessed this glorious kingdom in its heyday!



Yes, it's most triumphant in it's excellence! (watching Bill & Ted)

No worries Don's next tank will take it to a new level.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks SpecGrrl!! It ended up looking pretty nice, I thought! It is a nice set up, and I've always received top-notch plants from my buddies and fellow hobbyists, so this is really the culmination of the work of literally dozens of people. I'm glad to share it with everyone.

Frank--nice quote! I haven't seen that movie in some time! I did see it in the theater back in....middle school, I think! LOL! I hope that the next arrangement ends up looking nice, though it will be quite a bit different!


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

crazydaz said:


> ....I've always received top-notch plants from my buddies and fellow hobbyists, so this is really the culmination of the work of literally dozens of people. I'm glad to share it with everyone.


Don, that's really the best part on being a member of this site community. Every person on my friends list has helped me active my hobby goals. It's kinda cool to look at my tank and think I got that from Don, I got that from Han, I got that from Nick, I got that from Xue*.

*_Friends listed in alphabetical order all are equally great_
:icon_mrgr


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## Abhi (Apr 29, 2011)

WOW this tank is amazing ! Will be waiting for the next one too.


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## SpecGrrl (Jul 26, 2012)

DogFish said:


> Don, that's really the best part on being a member of this site community. Every person on my friends list has helped me active my hobby goals. It's kinda cool to look at my tank and think I got that from Don, I got that from Han, I got that from Nick, I got that from Xue*.
> 
> *_Friends listed in alphabetical order all are equally great_
> :icon_mrgr


Aw! It's like summer camp!


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

SpecGrrl said:


> Aw! It's like summer camp!


Without the ticks


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks for the love-in guys!


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

DogFish said:


> Don, that's really the best part on being a member of this site community. Every person on my friends list has helped me active my hobby goals. It's kinda cool to look at my tank and think I got that from Don, I got that from Han, I got that from Nick, I got that from Xue*.
> 
> *_Friends listed in alphabetical order all are equally great_
> :icon_mrgr


We love you too Frank


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

*Omnibus rebus bonis finis est.*

Three weeks left for this scape......then, teardown will begin for the move. I am trying to propogate the last round of plants for those who have already contacted me for stems.

All crypts and buce's are going with. Probably most of the anubias as well. Slow stems will be kept for the new scape as well, such as the Ammania latifolia, Ludwigia alata, and Hygro lancea. The Sagittaria platyphylla is going to be part of the new scape as well. There may be a few others, too, but by and large all stems are being sold or thrown out. All of the driftwood will either be given away, or kept in storage for a future set up.

Just some pics....tank looks nice after a week or so of no CO2, and it really colored up nicely as a result. Click on photo for a bigger, more detailed picture!

Couple shots of the front:




























Left Side:









Right Side:









Alternanthera 'Varigated'.....I am really going to MISS this plant!!! 









Another Sagittaria platyphylla shoot with flowers....it such a cool flower cluster!!









Closer up:









Thanks for looking!!


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## robb.ferg (Aug 19, 2012)

gorgeous tank! i must try to recreate this!


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

Wow don!
I haven't checked out your journal in a couple of weeks!.. all I can say is WOW!!!

Yes frank we all love ya! 

-Sent from my Samsung Note, a "Phablet"


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thank you Robb! It wouldn't be difficult to recreate this....get one of every single plant in the trade, mix them all up, and then plant them! 

Han--Thank buddy!!! I still have a lot of your plants in there, pal!! The system ended up maturing well for me, and I am a little disappointed to have to take it down so soon. But, I am looking forward to re-starting a new system that should be lower-maintenance. I need a little break from such a fast growing set up!


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

I have said this before but your tank is one of my favorites on this forum. The colors are amazing. I hate to see this tank taken down but I understand wanting to get away from the chore of a stem plant tank.


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## Obakemono (Dec 23, 2011)

Compared to my tank (98% all green) you have so much reds in there, and many varying hues and shapes. Amazing tank.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Amazing.

That is really cool how that Sagittaria bloomed in there.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thank you ua hua! I can hardly wait to see your 90g back up and running! You need to take more pics!!

Yeah, the colors are really, really nice....I will miss them. It is a cheerful-looking tank. If I did this for my job, I would keep it going. I'm sure that I'll come back to it someday. I'm trying to get a 90g cube this winter, so maybe I'll make that a stem tank. Just need a bit of a break!

Obakemono--Thank you! What I like best is that most of what I have in there are fairly common stems. I don't have too many "hard to get" species of stems in there; a few, but most are common Persicarias and Ludwigias, and some Rotalas. What green I do have in there does a great job breaking the red up, but there are so many shades of red, and so many different types of textures out there. It's been a lot of fun comparing and contrasting these plants up close and in person. I've learned quite a bit!

Devin-Thank you! Yeah, I think so! Again, a pretty common species, but it's just not usually found in an aquarium. I got it from HeyPK over on APC for $1. Totally worth it!  But, again, it does a great job breaking up all of the red coloration and offers a really neat texture to the aquarium. I'm taking this specie with me and using it in the next set up!


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## Jiinx (May 28, 2012)

if I was a fish, I'd be pretty happy in there.


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## BoxxerBoyDrew (Oct 16, 2005)

Still just FREAKIN AWESOME!!!!

The tank is just soo cool! The Size, and shape, with GREAT PLANTS and FISH! I could stare at it for hours and I bet there would be something I would miss! It is like some of the movies that Ya have to see over and over, and ya pick up new things every time!

Hate to see it go, but I be the next setup will be just as nice, though different!
Keep up the outstanding work!
Drew


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## Termato (Apr 12, 2012)

It's too bad this scape only gets three more (two now) weeks, it is looking beautiful! I love the reds in those plants, just amazing. I'm hoping my red stems will eventually get there.

Gorgeous tank!


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## jkan0228 (Feb 6, 2011)

I'm guessing you'll have a huge sale of plants?


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Jinx--- lol! Yes, you probably would! The fish in there are like little swimming piggies and prolific spawners. What's not to love?

Thanks Drew! If you had to clean it a few times, you would learn where everything is pretty quick!  it's nice to look at, but I don't get a chance to spend too much time with it to just enjoy it. Lotta effort for little reward.

Termato...you can get your reds there! You just need the right lighting, good substrate, great ferts, and have time to spend on maintenance. Thanks for the nice compliment!

Jkan-- not really. Most of the plants are spoken for already. I'm keeping the slow growing stems, the Sagittaria platyphylla, and almost all the crypts and buce's.


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## Jeromeit (Sep 30, 2011)

Don't do it bro!!! Move it as is lol...


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

@Jeromeit....If you are willing to come down from New York and help, we can try that!!  It's only about 1600lbs. Do you have a forklift, or would we just "heft it"?

Don


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## Jeromeit (Sep 30, 2011)

Haha we'd heft it lmao


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## skanderson (Jul 25, 2010)

just finished reading the build thread right before it is to be moved. really enjoyed this thread as i will be setting up a 48x48x30 inch planted tank as soon as i move my reef into its new home. really enjoyed seeing your bold use of color in a thank this large. thanks for the inspiration, steve


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## LICfish (Oct 9, 2010)

So sad to hear that it has to be broken down for the move :icon_cry: It's so BEAUTIFUL!!! 

I wish you the best of luck with the move and look forward to seeing your new set up.


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## ThatGuyWithTheFish (Apr 29, 2012)

I'll take your plants.


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## Jiinx (May 28, 2012)

Missing your updates, don! Hope the tear down went well!


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## tlyons01 (Nov 23, 2011)

*Break Down*

I hope it is ok for me to post these few pics I took of the break down. You all cannot imagine how wonderful it was to see this thing of beauty in person. Not only was I wowed by the tank, I was also introduced to a great couple with fantastically fun personalities! Thanks for letting me be apart of this tear down, I'm glad it all worked out as it did.

It took us about 5 hours to complete the break down, I think it would have taken longer, but Don got started removing his keeper plants before I arrived...

Just a few shots, my hands were too wet to take many..


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## tropicalmackdaddy (Mar 7, 2012)

*shrieks and grabs heart*
I hate breakdown pics :icon_sad:


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## keithy (Jun 8, 2010)

...................... Haven been a big fan of the tank and will be for a long time.


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## wastedtime (Oct 27, 2011)

I am going to miss this tank


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey Don this is a quick note that Hygrophila with the flowers on it (araguaia, or something similar?) is a real good riparium plant.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Tlyons----thanks for spending at least five hours with me yesterday helping with the teardown. It was dirty and took forever to do, but I hope that you had some fun and will enjoy the plants and fish!!  You are still only the second hobbyist to see this tank. I wish you would have seen it when it was in it's prime. I hope that you will be able to see the new set up in person!!

Thanks for the compliments everyone!

Hydrophyte: That's Hygro lancea, and I already have it packed up and ready for the new set up! Pretty purple flower on it!!

It was still pretty neat yesterday to pull out buce-covered driftwood and anubia-covered driftwood. I'm looking forward to re-planting those over the coming days.

Last pictures!! I guess it's time to say "The End" for this set up. So, "The End"!


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## jkan0228 (Feb 6, 2011)

When can we expect to see this all setup again with Buce and Crypts?!


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## Cobfreak (Aug 2, 2010)

First time I'm seeing this thread, so I'm late to the party, but WOW. What a tank that was. Incredible, a great inspiration.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Jiinx--Sorry! It's been a long couple of weeks, especially the last few days! Thanks for the for the compliment!!

JKan...the tank will be set up over the next few days, starting tonight. It won't be shown until any and all algae has been eradicated! 

Cob--thanks! Be on the lookout for the new thread!


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

looking forward to seeing the new setup. i expect itll be spectacular.


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## Obakemono (Dec 23, 2011)

crazydaz said:


> Jiinx--Sorry! It's been a long couple of weeks, especially the last few days! Thanks for the for the compliment!!
> 
> JKan...the tank will be set up over the next few days, starting tonight. It won't be shown until any and all algae has been eradicated!
> 
> Cob--thanks! Be on the lookout for the new thread!


Looking forward to the new setup, though the old setup was about the best tank I have seen.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Marko! I hope it is! I just got everything up and half planted in the new set up. I think that I need another 150lbs of Seriyu stone, and then buy some Tillandsia species. It was nice getting most of the big stuff out of the way.

Obakemono--you are way too kind!! Thank you!


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## looking4roselines (Mar 28, 2008)

Good luck with the move Don.

That's a lot of stones you're getting. I hope there enough planting space for your crypts.

Have you figured out what type of orchids you're mounting to the exposed wood?


Xue


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## Obakemono (Dec 23, 2011)

crazydaz said:


> Thanks Marko! I hope it is! I just got everything up and half planted in the new set up. I think that I need another 150lbs of Seriyu stone, and then buy some Tillandsia species. It was nice getting most of the big stuff out of the way.
> 
> Obakemono--you are way too kind!! Thank you!


No, I have a big thanks to you for pointing out the guys that made your tank (Great Lakes Aquariums). Now I have a few more months of saving up to get my dream tank from them.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Xue--Thanks man!!  Come heck or high water, it will be all over with within a few more days. The tank has really come along nicely, and I just finished planting the tank portion today. I....have.....SOOOOOOOOOOOOO many crypts with daughter plants that I didn't even realize until I went to re-plant them. Nice big patches of bullosa Bario, keei, and so on. It was very challenging to find enough room for them AND all the buce's too. It's a good problem to have.  Devin recommended a few tillandsia that I am going to look into buying as well as a few orchid species. I plan on ordering them tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes! I'll throw some pics up in a new thread after the move.

Obakemono--I'm always glad to help a friend! They are completely worth the cost, and you will be pleased with their craftsmanship!!


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

crazydaz said:


> Thanks Marko! I hope it is! I just got everything up and half planted in the new set up. I think that I need another 150lbs of Seriyu stone, and then buy some Tillandsia species. It was nice getting most of the big stuff out of the way.
> 
> Obakemono--you are way too kind!! Thank you!


i love tillandsia. had a bunch in my gecko terrarium. the most hardy in my experience was my t. capitata 'peach' (got it from http://www.blackjungleterrariumsupply.com/). 
neoreglias are good too (dwarf bromeliads, they will grow pretty well in next to no substrate, and some of them are very colorful). out of my entire terrarium the only plants i was able to keep were my n. lilliputiana and n. fireball. great little plants. they stay even smaller than most of my tillandsias did, and are much hardier (IME, tillandsia are not beginners plants like most broms). 
with tillandsia sp, be careful to use RO water. to much nutrients will kill them very fast. i had 2 one iron holders i put in the wood, and they both got iron overdosed and dropped a bunch of leaves (probably would have survived, but i just trashed em, and got a t. caput 'medusae'.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

did i hear someone say orchids? what kind ya getting?


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Marko, thanks for the note regarding the RO. I didn't know that, and I would hate to end up killing them! This will be an interesting venture into unknown territory for me, so I am looking forward to it!

Orchidman! I'm not quite sure yet. Mi have a few to pick from, but haven't had much time to sit and research them yet. We'll see!


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## Jeromeit (Sep 30, 2011)

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Unfortunately, "Yes"! 

Here's a few teaser pics of the new set up being..well, "set up"....still cloudy, need more rock, but it's a start:


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## jkan0228 (Feb 6, 2011)

Dirt capped with sand? Lol and whats with all the MTS?


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## keithy (Jun 8, 2010)

looking good!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Look at that!


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

Killer! You should toss in some riparium plants in this one .


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

looks great don!


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## wastedtime (Oct 27, 2011)

Yes, this is coming back.. I am excited to see what you do with this Don.


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## vincenz (Jan 29, 2012)

Whoa nice! I hope you keep it open-topped this time around


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

jkan--I'm not too sure what you mean? This is a crypt tank, which are heavy root feeders, and I am NOT taking this system down for a long, long time to redo substrate.  And, I don't think that it is an "excessive" amount...probably no more than two inches at most. There is kitty litter and some of my old substrate as a base layer (about 1/2") along with a little under two inches of MTS, capped by an inch of playsand. Pretty standard, I think!

Keithy--Thanks man! I'll be adding more as time goes on. Hopefully, it will eventually look as good as the previous set up. It will take some time, especially because I'm using such slow growing buce's and anubia species.

Got some thread-leaf java fern yesterday from Jeff, which looks really cool, too!

Thanks Nick!! That's the plan! I'll need it to help mask the base of the manzy branches. I've already been criticized that the manzy branches just stand out too much. I never intended them to be so "there," and had always planned on asking Devin to provide me a nice supply of riparium plants....I guess some people expect a perfect set up from the get-go. This is a "journal," not an entry into an AGA contest.

Non-C, thanks buddy! It's a "start"!

Thanks wastedtime and vincenz! It was always open-top, but I had the pendant hanging fairly low. It has been raised substantially now.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

PS--- A sad goodbye to Andy Williams! :-( I always loved his voice....so warm and rich sounding. The Last of an Era of Legends.


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

This is an awesome tank size, I wish I had the room for one just like this! Can't wait to see what you do with it this time around.


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## Cobfreak (Aug 2, 2010)

Looks excellent, I love the wood.

Also, I think the "all the MTS" comment meant trumpet snails, not mineralized top soil. Way too many "MTS"s in this hobby.  Looking forward to following this tank.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks Rainbuilder! Make room for one!!! 

Cobfreak! That makes a little more sense to me! Sorry Jkan! If the comment pertained to Malyasian trumpet snails, I would answer that I love these little guys, and tried to bring as many as I could from my old set up. I need them to keep the substrate from compacting, and they never posed a problem to me!!


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## Cobfreak (Aug 2, 2010)

I love trumpet snails too. I think my amano shrimp might eat them, though; I'm not sure. It might be that I've just seen them picking at empty shells. I never have as many as I want to.


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## Obakemono (Dec 23, 2011)

Hey Don,
Since the manzy branches are high out of the water will this have an effect on the lighting? I know on the old setup you had your hood relatively close to the tank.


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## Drema (May 17, 2011)

Completely unrelated to the tank, but I noticed Goodlettesville as your location. We go by there a couple of times a year and I have to recommend the restaurant "Chef's Market." The food is fabulous. 

Best of luck with setting thing back up!  I'm sure it will be even more beautiful than before!


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## antbug (May 28, 2010)

Good start. You have your work cut out for you. That last scape was AMAZING.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Cob---probably don't eat them, but they will scavenge any remaining....meat....The Circle of Life, type of thing, I guess! 

Obakemono--Yes, the lights are now a good 2.5 feet off the tank now. I have taken a measurement yet, but this is lower light. I will be buying new fixtures with German reflectors relatively soon. Two light pendants of 8x54watt T5 HO's, for a total of 16 bulbs. That will help, but once I get plants on the Manzy, it will certainly dim things down below the Manzy. I have mostly anubia species, crypts, and buce's in there, so they will appreciate the lower light conditions. The stems are in unobstructed lighting areas. There is still some re-arranging that I'm sure will happen, but I am hoping for a slower growing set up.

Drema--Thank you! I'll take every ounce of luck that I can get! My CO2 closed loop system is completely fried, so I have to get another one soon! Just happened tonight, too! Darn thing started leaking water after I waterproofed it yesterday, and then stopped. I hope that I don't lose too many plants.....

Chef's is sweet! The wife and I usually go there for lunch once or twice per month. And take home a piece of cake for dessert to split later on!

Antbug! Thanks bro! Most of the fun is in the journey rather than the destination, yes?


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## antbug (May 28, 2010)

Absolutely. It wouldn't be a hobby if you just set it up and it was done. 

I remember when I first saw your journal and I though, bad shape for a planted tank. It's hard enough to pull off a good looking tank with one viewing side and you pulled off a stunning 360 degree tank. Thumbs up. Looking forward to this one.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks, Anthony!! Btw--did Tom ever explain why the green lights are important to use in your fixture? For the life of me, I've been scratching my head over that one. Green plants reflect green light, which is why they are green. Is there a chance that yellow light wavelengths from the green bulb are what you are trying to gain? Let me know, when you can! I would like to try some of these types of bulbs...the red and purple bulbs are "defines" for me....not so sure of the green bulbs though.


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## cturner (Aug 1, 2006)

Any updates or new pics??


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Hi Correna!

I started a new Journal thread for the new tank set up after I tore it down. Here's a link:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=192640&page=11

.....let the Journal remain dead......  LOL!


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