# 37g 1221 Piedras Parkway



## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

This is a journal of my 37g. It is not new but I wanted somewhere it keep track of it since I cant seem to keep my hands out of it.

This tank first started as a 29g in my dad's apartment 9 yrs ago. I had a "No fishing sign and some sort of ceramic bridge. The substrate was blue and black epoxy resin rocks. I think there was a green terror and a texis chiclid in there, too long ago. 

Now it is a pretty high tech 37g with 130w of pc lighting and 36w of no t5 light. Currently there is a White diamond discus and one Cardinal Tetra. Im no longer interested in the discus they have breed for me and have lived longer then I could have imagined. 

Plants are the main point now. Maybe in a few years when I can get a noce 120 or 180 Discus will come back into the picture. Im just tired of the fish disrupting the AS and causing it to settle on the plant leaves eventually killing them.

Below will be as far back as I can find poctoraly. The good the bad and the ugly! :thumbsup:

This was in Oct. 2006. Check out that substrate. I cant believe my wife let me put this in the living room. :icon_eek: 









Then, I learned about co2 and put a 65w coralife light on it. (still a 29g)









Some of the earlier mentiond reproduction.









About 6 months later, one of my favorite DIY CO2 and sterile substrate scapes.









This is what happens when your bulbs go bad and you cant figure out what the problem is!


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

I was very proud of my Angustifolious.









Never could get that lobelia to grow right.









Never was a big fan of legs either.


















Hello Loach. Finnaly got some AS but no full tank shot.









1/2 of a FTS.









The blurry FTS.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Not quite so blurry.









Goog growth with the DIY.









Yes finally the glorious introduction of pressurized CO2. By this time I havd the 37g and also upgraded my light to a 2x65w coralife fixture.









The addition of a Coralife 36w no t5 strip light.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Now, where I sit today. Dont mind the cloudyness as I said earlier I CANT KEEP MY HAND OUT OF IT!!!


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## Phoenix-cry (Dec 25, 2008)

Very nice! I love seeing the changes!


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Thank you.

I really am just happy that I can actually see a finished product right now. Half of the plants are not even growing properly because I move them too much. I like wgere it's at now and cat wait till I trim a few times and things thicken up!


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Hopefully this pic helps illustrate where im wanting to go with this tank.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Oooh I see the pretty purple bamboo

For some reason, the intake tube of the Eheim looks smaller than normal:icon_roll Oh well

What's the current water parameters?


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

I really like the bamboo. I am planning on letting it grow to the surface and see what that looks like.

The Eheim intake just looks small because it's next to the beastly rena intake! It is a 2222 and the diameter is 1/2" I recently got some 1/2" vinyl tubing from lowes to replace the ugle green tubing and am happy with it (waiting for it to get nasty).

You know I really dont test too often as long as my plants are looking good I see no need. But, the last time I checked they were somewhere around...

temp-84
nitrate-15
nitrite-0
dkh-13
dgh-3



ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Oooh I see the pretty purple bamboo
> 
> For some reason, the intake tube of the Eheim looks smaller than normal:icon_roll Oh well
> 
> What's the current water parameters?


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

Boy your tank has really gone through some changes. I see that your plant difficulty level has also increased! 

The purple bamboo will just keep growing straight up and out on the water. The emersed growth is almost the same as the submerged except that it looses it's purple color. The plant is better kept in the back ground or trimmed in the midground. It's a fast grower!


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

One of the more exciting things about keeping planted tanks for me (and most others im sure) is upping the difficulty of the species I keep. It's gratifying.

This was actually the tank your pink tenellus came from!  



Tex Gal said:


> Boy your tank has really gone through some changes. I see that your plant difficulty level has also increased!
> 
> The purple bamboo will just keep growing straight up and out on the water. The emersed growth is almost the same as the submerged except that it looses it's purple color. The plant is better kept in the back ground or trimmed in the midground. It's a fast grower!


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

Well thanks for the pink tennellus. I love it. It's beautiful.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Im glad to see it worked out well for you.


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## mickitaz (Oct 7, 2008)

rofl.. I can't keep my hands out of my tank either. I keep rearranging things. I long for the day when I am happy with the way things look and leave well enough alone.


Nice job so far on the tank


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Thank you. 

I think my problem with this tank has been that there was really no goal in the beginning (as the pics illustrate), I was just trying to grow some plants and in my excitement (about co2, higher lighting, and ADA AS) I just threw a bunch of plants in the tank and watched them grow.

Now I know what i can grow and how it looks (thank goodness collectoritus has been subdued) so I feel I can piece together a nice scape.:smile:



mickitaz said:


> rofl.. I can't keep my hands out of my tank either. I keep rearranging things. I long for the day when I am happy with the way things look and leave well enough alone.
> 
> 
> Nice job so far on the tank


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Some fresh after trim/maintinence/moving stuff around pics!


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

WOW, I really need to take some pics. The growth is really filling in. Yesterday on a whim I purchases 10 white cloud minnows. I was originally looking for some Cardinals but couldnt find any. I really like the clouds though, they are very active. I want to get about 10 more. I want to get a total of 20 WC's and 20 cardinals. I think it will look nice with those fish.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Yeah, new pics


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## twychopen (Dec 17, 2008)

Man I love the pink tennellus....Looks like it may be the next plant I try to pick up.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

I have been busy.



clwatkins10 said:


> Yeah, new pics


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## Pinto (Jan 23, 2009)

Lovin the new changes.
Can't wait to see the potential.


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## Eric D (Jan 26, 2009)

Very nice tank! Good to see another St. Louisan on here! 
If your still looking for cardinals the Petsmart on Lemay Ferry Rd had some the other day.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

I miight have to check them out Sunday. thanks for the heads up. :thumbsup:

You wouldnt want/know someone who would want that discus in the pics?



Eric D said:


> Very nice tank! Good to see another St. Louisan on here!
> If your still looking for cardinals the Petsmart on Lemay Ferry Rd had some the other day.


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

Cool tank. I really like time lapse effect with all those pics on the first page. The hole in your shelf for the Co2 cylinder is pretty nifty too. Good idea. 

Keep up the good work!


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## Eric D (Jan 26, 2009)

bsmith782 said:


> I miight have to check them out Sunday. thanks for the heads up. :thumbsup:
> 
> You wouldnt want/know someone who would want that discus in the pics?


Unfortunatly my tank is still in the setup stage. Ive always been apprehensive about keeping discus with the extremely hard water around here.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

If the discus were born and raised here in our water conditions then they will be fine. Just make sure it's a local breeder.



Eric D said:


> Unfortunatly my tank is still in the setup stage. Ive always been apprehensive about keeping discus with the extremely hard water around here.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Here they are.
FTS








Right side. Green Aromatica, L.Arcuatua and some Anubis I was hoping would start growing. The transition from lowlight to Highlight hasnt been too good, as you can see.








Bamboo forest








Left side. You can see my sorry looking split Erios. What im wanting to do here is have the Polygonum "porto vehlo" grow over them and create a slight shade effect on the Erios. Also you can see the Hygro "porto vehlo" that I just can get rid of.








My colorful Aromatica.








Another FTS.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Holy crap I hope my Bamboo will end up looking that good:icon_eek:


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

I find that after trimming about 2 times it is best to get rid of the bottoms. Last time I sold like 12 tattered bottoms for like $10. Did I mention I hate throwing plants out?



ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Holy crap I hope my Bamboo will end up looking that good:icon_eek:


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## Cocobid (Feb 25, 2007)

Whooo what a transformation..
Stunning cannot wait to watch this one.
Discus tap or RO water. We have 8.1 ish out of the tap!


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Straight from the tap. I used to get RO from a local fish store. Funny thing is after I stopped tying to get perfect Ammazonian water parameters is when they started spawning! If you can find Discus that were born and raised in whatever your local parameters are then they will have no problems and will readily spawn when they are mature. :thumbsup:



Cocobid said:


> Whooo what a transformation..
> Stunning cannot wait to watch this one.
> Discus tap or RO water. We have 8.1 ish out of the tap!


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

A few updated shots. Keep in mind all of my red plants arent looking there best because one of the lights in my 2x65w fixture has been out for over a week.
FTS

















"Porto Vehlo"








"Sao Paulo" im glad I finally got this to grow. I had someone send me some a while ago before the pressurized co2 and it melted.









L.Aromatica What a pretty plant!









HI!









Cabomba Furcata. This has to be one of the nicest stem plants I have had the pleasure of keeping. When my lighting was at full strength this plant was mezmerizing. Ill get some updates after I recieve my new bu;b.


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## Eric D (Jan 26, 2009)

Yeah things were alot redder last week when I saw the tank. Still looks great though. Everything is so neatly arranged, my tank is a jumbled mess of plants. :icon_neut I really like that L. Aromatica. 

All you need now is to get that poor Cardinal Tetra about 20 friends! 

Take Care, Eric


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Hopefully the replacement light will be here today. 

As far as the plant placement is concerned, it just take a little time and some little tweezers.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Oh so now you have a mix of San Paulo and Purple Bamboo?


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Right now I have... 1.Polygonum "Porto Vehlo" 2. Polygonum "Sao Paulo" 3. Purple Bamboo











ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Oh so now you have a mix of San Paulo and Purple Bamboo?


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Oh I forgot to ask; which plant's bottom leaves melt off more easily (due to lack of light), the bamboo or san paulo?


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

I have not had that much experience with the Sao Paulo yet. But the PB leaves do get tattered after a couple of months on the bottom.



ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Oh I forgot to ask; which plant's bottom leaves melt off more easily (due to lack of light), the bamboo or san paulo?


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

I just flipped the placement of my Iwaki in the flow of water to the tank. Now the pump chopps the co2 up BEFORE the filter. I really dont know why I did not do this sooner because if I thought that the bubbles were small before then I was crazy. They are barely visible. I can litteraly see millions of tiny tiny tiny bubble everywhere in the tank. I was afraid that this was such a great dissolving method I halved my bubble count to make sure I dont kill anyone!

Other then that I now have polygonum kawagoenum and "ruby" in the tank. I also placed some rotala COLORATA (Finally!!!) and Ludwiga Guinea.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Some new shots.








P.Kawagoenum








C.Furcata








R.mini type 2








A new member of the tank I added a couple days ago with a few of this blue friends.








P. Sao Paulo








P.Stellatus "needle leaf"


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## timme278 (Jan 1, 2009)

wow its changed alot

how often do you see the discus or is it always hiding because its on its own?

looking realy good


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

i know what you mean when you say you cant keep your hand out of the tank! i swear i have OCD when it comes to aquscaping etc.

your tank is looking sharp, i love this newest scape. plants look very healthy as well. keep it up!


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

The discus are usually grazing the substrate for food. If you look right under the spraybar to the right on the last pic you can see the other ones face.



timme278 said:


> wow its changed alot
> 
> how often do you see the discus or is it always hiding because its on its own?
> 
> looking realy good


Thank you. It is difficult. I attribute some of it to this being a high tech set up and the plants just grow too fast, they need to be tamed/groomed or they end up looking like a jungle.



organic sideburns said:


> i know what you mean when you say you cant keep your hand out of the tank! i swear i have OCD when it comes to aquscaping etc.
> 
> your tank is looking sharp, i love this newest scape. plants look very healthy as well. keep it up!


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

A few placement changes and new additions. I added some nice bushes of Trithuira sp., ROTALA MEXICANA 'GOIAS', T.Belem and Bacopa araguaia. Im really liking the way everything is filling in and now that I have my P.Stellatus 'needle leaf' in some good light it is taking off nicely. Enjoy. 

FTS's

















One of my favorite stems as of late. It's amazing what a flash can do to bring out the color I see in my living room!!!
No flash. 








Flash. 








My new toninas. So Green.








Polygonum sp. 'Kawagoeanum'








Trithizzle and R.Mexicana.








Stellatus.








P. 'Sao paulo'.








My awesome drop checker.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Now for a few questions.
Can anyone tell me why my L.Guinea is soooo ugly?????









Why isnt my r.colorata pink?









Does anyone know anything about wavey polygonum leaves? I dont believe there supposed to be like that.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

A few new shots before the light upgrade.
















My ner Cardinal friends (thanks lnb).

















Whatever looked decent.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)




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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Sick foreground!


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

I never looked at it like that. But, there are some cool plants in that area. I just cant wait to get my new Cat fixture to really get the color going!


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

Sweet! What are the plants in the foreground?


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Lets see, left to right Tonina fluviatilis, trithura sp., erio sp. sulawesi, rotala mini type 2, Luidwigia guinea (ugly in my tank), I think the plant on the right is either a bacopa or rotala sp. but I cant remember. Ill shoot the guy who gave it to me a pm and get back to you.


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

Thanks for the breakdown! Looks like Bacopa. Keep up the good work!


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

bacopa sp 'araguaia'


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## DWFISH (Mar 24, 2007)

let me know when you get ready to sell some of your erio .


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

DWFISH said:


> let me know when you get ready to sell some of your erio .


It actually is not an Eriocaulon sp. It is a Trithura sp. I know Cavan Allen (Tinanti) is trying to pin down an actual recognition for this plant. Unless your talking about the sulawesi...

I used to have problems with this plant untill I started using the Iwaki to break up the bubbles before entry into the xp1. Now they seem to be doing gerat even with the AS dust that builds up on the leaves.

BTW, YGPM.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

How are you liking the new lights?


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

You must be psychic, check the thread in the lighting area...


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

bsmith782 said:


> You must be psychic, check the thread in the lighting area...


I saw it, that's why I checked your journal 
er, I mean, for just $29.95 I can give you a palm reading and tell you the winning lottery numbers ;

Are t5ho's really as great as some say?


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

I dont know. All of the readings people are getting from there light measuring devices seem to support the claim but for some reason it just isnt happening on my tank. My glass top was pretty dirty as I have been preoccupied with other things but it did that with the pc-t5no combo before.


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## april_tanks (Jul 21, 2009)

Hey if you don't want your Discus anymore, I will buy him xD I got a wild-type that would like a friend


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

I actually am keeping them, thanks though. 

I need to update this, after getting 2 geisman midday and 2 power chromes the light seems to be doing better. Growth is good and pearling is back up to the level it was with my pc's.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Today I sucked out 2/3 of my AS and replaced it with some fresh stuff. I was getting tired of constantly having to shake my plants to get the dust off of them. After it all clears ill do an update.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Here is the big update. Im so happy how the tank has turned out after the substrate "rejuvenation". This was the biggest issue with algae I was having. Think about having particulates continually clouding your water, clogging your filter/co2 diffusion device and landing on plants leaves causing them to not be able to soak up the light, what a pain! I really wish I had a nice camera not a POS POS because the red/maroon veining in the Cuba, the pink coloration in the Panatal and just all the other colors make the tank look unbelievable. Hopefully one of our friends stops by tonight with her DSLR so I can get some hot shots.
FTS's
















Syngonanthus "Madeira"








Polygonum "Sao Paulo"








Ludwigia "cuba"








Crypt Sunset








Ludwigia "panatal"


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

The crown on the S."madiera" is gorgeous IMO.
















Top shot
















Purple bamboo with some cardinal tetras in the mix.








P."Sao Paulo" W/Cards








$1.99 Otocinclus from Petsmart.


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

Very nice!


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Thank Freddie. I am just glad everything is finally coming back together after the move. It has been a big issue getting cleaning up the mess from the Aquasoil but I guess its just something ill have to put up with in order to have the tank I want.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

I just scored 3 more Turquoise Discus yesterday!!!!!!!!! I was sooooo stoke to say the least. I will post some pocs up after I get off.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

New

























































Original


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## skewlboy (Jul 23, 2006)

think they are looking for shrimp to eat 

just wondering, do you think the tonina madiera need to be in the soil deep to really grow their best. My toninas always do great then laugh at me and die quickly. I have fallen back to believing it was a potassium problem as I rarely dosed that and now I have been trying a new approach (I'm soft water and Aquasoil)


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

I dont think so, mine never seen to develop a big root system at all. 



skewlboy said:


> think they are looking for shrimp to eat
> 
> just wondering, do you think the tonina madiera need to be in the soil deep to really grow their best. My toninas always do great then laugh at me and die quickly. I have fallen back to believing it was a potassium problem as I rarely dosed that and now I have been trying a new approach (I'm soft water and Aquasoil)


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

The tank looks like crap but the fish are certainly happy! I also acquired some nice rare swords in a trade with a fellow member and they seem to like my tank very much. Right now the tank is in a phase where I am working on a new layout with the plants. I believe I will have my swords as a center piece with the Polygonum and bamboo surrounding them. The rest will just have to fall in place. I may take the Ludwigia Cuba out as it does not grow straight enough for my liking and gets unruly after a few weeks of trims. 
























The swords:








Small Bear
















Aflame aka Purple Knight


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I'm in love.

That Purple Knight is AMAZING!!!

:help::help::help::help::help:


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

I really cant believe the difference in the emersed and submerged leaves. Or better yet I cant believe anyone would grow this out of water!

Ill tell you what, when it shoots off a runner you'll get the first PM. 



lauraleellbp said:


> I'm in love.
> 
> That Purple Knight is AMAZING!!!
> 
> :help::help::help::help::help:


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

bsmith said:


> Ill tell you what, when it shoots off a runner you'll get the first PM.


THANK YOU!!!! I will FIND a place for one! :smile::smile::smile:


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## Digital (Apr 4, 2008)

I am just cycling my 37g in my studio tonight. This has been a nice inspiration thread for the 37g size tank! Love the discus! How often are you doing water changes and how much?


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## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

updates?


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## albirdy (Jul 16, 2008)

yes; update please!


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Here are a few pics I took with my phone. Looks pretty good IMO.


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## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

That is looking really nice. Hopefully my 37 will look like this someday. How many bags of aquasoil do you have in there right now? I might switch to aquasoil in the future also.


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## ADA (Dec 31, 2010)

I LOVE the "S.madiera".

Is that hard to keep alive?


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

ADA said:


> I LOVE the "S.madiera".
> 
> Is that hard to keep alive?


This is actually the "Appalachian allure tank" I just renamed it since i was gong in a different direction with the aesthetics. The Madiera is one of the harder plants to grow _correctly_. I say correctly because I actually have a stem growing in a catfish tank that gets no ferts, co2 or anything you would think a hard plant would need. When in the correct conditions it is absolutely stunning with a thick crown and beautiful leaves. I'm starting to think that I need new bulbs cause I cant think of anything else that im missing currently.


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## ADA (Dec 31, 2010)

bsmith said:


> Here they are.
> FTS
> 
> Right side. Green Aromatica, L.Arcuatua and some Anubis I was hoping would start growing. The transition from lowlight to Highlight hasnt been too good, as you can see.
> ...


omg.. do you still have some of that Bamboo??? What's it called? I want some!!


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## ADA (Dec 31, 2010)

You have some of the most interesting plants I've ever seen.. I love them. Such a nice bright red too..

*edit* I just found the name in your thread.. is it "Sao Paulo"?

I'm infatuated with bamboo (the land species). I can't believe there's an aquatic version! I have some Japanese bamboo flutes called "Shakuhachi", which I collect and use for my work (I'm a composer). 

Here are a pics of a couple of my shakuhachis.. (sorry to hijack your thread, thought you might like to see these)





































So anyways, back on topic.. do you know where I can get a piece of that aquatic bamboo? I'd really love to grow some.

Thanks!


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