# Newbie who needs ideas



## iNinja (Apr 7, 2014)

So this is my first thread, and my first dirted tank. I reused some plants I had in a 20L that I tore down to make room for this one. I have dwarf sag as a carpet and tied some anubias nana to the driftwood. I started out with just two small anubias nana plants from a major pet store and they exploded when I gave them good lighting and co2. I'm horrible at trying to figure out what plants could go where and look good together in the space I have left.

My current setup is:
- 75 gallons
- odyssea cfs 500 canister filter with added bag of purigen and bag of chemipure with original sponges and bioball filtration. diy surface skimmer.
- substrate is organic soil bottom, thin middle layer of regular black sand, flourite black sand cap. all regular white sand for 'river' effect that my corys got all dirty :tongue:. substrates divided by translucent film (like projector film) to prevent sag from running into the 'river'.
- 216w t5ho (4 bulbs. first pair 9am-5pm. second pair 10am-6pm) blue night LEDs 6pm-12pm. total darkness from 12pm-9am)
- pressurized co2 on 5lb bottle (8am-5pm) roughly 3bps using drop checker
- current fert dosing is flourish, flourish excel, flourish potassium (ordered EI dry ferts)
- stocking is 15 neon tetras, 4 SAE's, and 4 peppered corys (3 nickle size blue platinum angelfish and 2 nickle size blue platinum marble angelfish on order.) the betta in the hangon breeder will be moved once I get his own 10 gallon set up. he has 3 anubias nana plants in with him and gets water circulation from tom's dosing pump.
- 30% water change once a week

Here are some pictures. I just did a water change so the water is a little cloudy. The heater will be moved later and I'm using an inline co2 atomizer for now until I get another glass diffuser after accidentally stepping on it. :tongue: The background is frosted film for when I add some LED backlighting later. The plants turned a little yellow after transplanting so I'm hoping they'll come back.



































So I'm not sure what other plants to add. I have the empty space in the back corners for some tall background plants. I want to add some midground plants behind my large rock and behind the back part of the driftwood so I get maybe a sloping effect down to the river then back up to the corner of the island. I would like some colored plants as well like yellow and reds. Or if you think maybe I should replace some areas of the dwarf sag with something else.

Your help would be appreciated! Thanks for looking!


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## angelcraze (Aug 20, 2013)

Your setup is more high tech than any of my setups, but I do have dirted tanks. I will say that your dwarf sag is going to go crazy. Mine, without as much light in a 90g and no co2 formed a lawn-like carpet fast. With all those ferts and exploding new dirtbed, you have so many options. Mermaid weed grows feathery and is all of the colours you want to add, yellow and red. Same as rotala magenta, although I find it grows more solidly pinkish red.

For red plants, and pardon me for not knowing the actual name, my personal favorite is ludwigia rubin 'mini'. It grows easily super red, underside of leaves and all, with smaller, more delicate leaves than regular ludwigia rubin, and faster, I find. 

There is also ludwigia arcuata, which has spikier leaves more resembling rotala, but it's easy to grow and also grows super red.

Myriophyllum tuberculatum is labelled red, but grows more of an orangy red, for diversity in colour.

I think later you might want to try a more difficult foreground plant, like pogostemon helferi, it is more interesting, but grows slower than dwarf sag producing lateral shoots to form a carpet. I think this plant in smaller sections would look amazing. 

I am sure there will many other suggestions. I think your options are endless.

Btw, how did you separate the dirt from the sandy path?


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## H2Ogal (Apr 27, 2010)

I like the stark, formal, almost architectural quality you have created so far. 

Couple of things: I suspect your cories are going to continue to mix those dark and light sands. Hope that won't bother you too much, lol! Is that a heater hanging very near the middle of the back wall? Might want to move it to one side or the other, just to reduce the visual clutter, unless you think it will be hidden by plants in the future. I have my inline heater on the return tube, but am not sure if an in-tank heater is better placed near the water going to the filter or coming back into the pump. 

I'm not very good with plant recommendations ... All I can think is giant (or do I mean jungle ?) vals for the left rear because I think a stand of something thick and strappy would suit the look of the tank. But they get huge, I think. Do you like lilies? I've only tried N. stellata (in my much smaller tank) but it can be very attractive and a fast grower. Each plant will produce lots of arrow-shaped reddish/greenish leaves, as long as you clip all of the shoots that go to the surface. If you let those fast-growing shoots develop, you will end up with numerous dark red-brown lily pads (and maybe even flowers?) but the lower leaves will die back. N. stellata do go dormant periodically, which may not suit your plans.

I hope at least some of this is helpful.


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## iNinja (Apr 7, 2014)

angelcraze said:


> Your setup is more high tech than any of my setups, but I do have dirted tanks. I will say that your dwarf sag is going to go crazy. Mine, without as much light in a 90g and no co2 formed a lawn-like carpet fast. With all those ferts and exploding new dirtbed, you have so many options. Mermaid weed grows feathery and is all of the colours you want to add, yellow and red. Same as rotala magenta, although I find it grows more solidly pinkish red.
> 
> For red plants, and pardon me for not knowing the actual name, my personal favorite is ludwigia rubin 'mini'. It grows easily super red, underside of leaves and all, with smaller, more delicate leaves than regular ludwigia rubin, and faster, I find.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the suggestions!

I used transparency film to separate the dirt and the sand. I used aquarium sealant to glue it to the bottom glass and keep it shaped and in place and also makes a seal on the bottom so the plants don't send runners into the sand. It's an idea I got from James Findley's 'Reciprocity' aquascape. I think if I were to try a different carpet plant, I'd go with Staurogyne repens. I always loved the look of it as carpet.



H2Ogal said:


> I like the stark, formal, almost architectural quality you have created so far.
> 
> Couple of things: I suspect your cories are going to continue to mix those dark and light sands. Hope that won't bother you too much, lol! Is that a heater hanging very near the middle of the back wall? Might want to move it to one side or the other, just to reduce the visual clutter, unless you think it will be hidden by plants in the future. I have my inline heater on the return tube, but am not sure if an in-tank heater is better placed near the water going to the filter or coming back into the pump.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the compliments and suggestions! Yes, my corys like tossing up my flourite sand into my white sand, haha. I use some airline hose and suck up what they mess up. I hope later that a thick enough carpet will form where they can't do it anymore.

The heater and co2 atomizer will be moved. I will have the background as clean as I can for the later on backlighting. I'll probably eventually get some lily pipes.


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## angelcraze (Aug 20, 2013)

Staurogyne is my second fave ground cover, much like heleri, I find, in grwoth and propagation anyway. What did you think of for plants with colour? Did you know there is a jungle americana 'rubra'? I little harder to find, I ordered mine from Toronto, Ebay, I think. OMG, I totally forgot about echinodorus tenellus, it grows like wildfire, spreads like dwarf sag via runners, but grow finer with pink/red if given enough light. Love that plant. Looks like a mess in the pic, but I have kribensis rustling through it all the time. You want colour, just saying.


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## EwDeg (Feb 4, 2014)

I'm really digging this setup. What kind of rocks are those?


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## iNinja (Apr 7, 2014)

they're just regular limestone rock for landscaping. i changed things up a bit and ordered $100 worth of plants so it will either turn out great or a total disaster, haha. i decided not to use the dwarf sag as a carpet plant and just as a mid ground plant in a small area. i haven't yet decided on a carpet plant. some moss will replace the anubias nana i had on the driftwood. the powerhead will be replaced with a small wavemaker.

here's some updated pics. i finally got the backlighting done using two 48" 5050 multicolor LED strips with wireless remote. i'll take a video later once it gets darker.


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## EChord (May 4, 2014)

I'm a beginner at aquascaping (though I've kept plants before), but I think that's a very nice looking hardscape. I really like the positioning of the wood in relation to the stones, and I think it can be planted really beautifully.  What plants did you end up ordering?

On a side note - just wanted to mention in case you didn't know, limestone will leach calcium into the water, making the water harder, and usually raising your pH. It's not a problem as long as you're aware of it, and avoid anything that MUST have a more acidic pH.

Looking forward to seeing the final version


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## EwDeg (Feb 4, 2014)

Love the background effect. Sub'd. Can't wait to see it planted.


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## EwDeg (Feb 4, 2014)

You said the background is frosted film. Where'd you get it? I'm trying to figure out what to do for my background. I don't want to tape something or paint it. But film sounds good.


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## bsantucci (Sep 30, 2013)

Can you link to the led strips you got? Looks great and exactly what I want to do. 

Also what film did you use? I am planning to use rustoleum spray on frost for my new tank but wouldn't mind taking a look at what you have. 

Love the tank though subscribed for sure. 


Sent from my LG-V510 using Tapatalk


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## iNinja (Apr 7, 2014)

EChord said:


> I'm a beginner at aquascaping (though I've kept plants before), but I think that's a very nice looking hardscape. I really like the positioning of the wood in relation to the stones, and I think it can be planted really beautifully.  What plants did you end up ordering?
> 
> On a side note - just wanted to mention in case you didn't know, limestone will leach calcium into the water, making the water harder, and usually raising your pH. It's not a problem as long as you're aware of it, and avoid anything that MUST have a more acidic pH.
> 
> Looking forward to seeing the final version


my ph stays around 6.7-6.8 when my co2 is running during the day and i haven't seen it get any higher than 7.0-7.1 throughout the night. i think maybe the little bit of stone i left isn't having much of an effect on the water.

my plant list varies from red ludwigia to rotala to didiplis diandra. some riccia fluitans for the driftwood. a blyxa japonica for the island with some taller background plants behind it. i won't really know exactly where everything will be placed once it's here and laid out, haha. i still may go with staurogyne repens as a carpet, but like i said i haven't ordered any type of carpet plant yet.



EwDeg said:


> You said the background is frosted film. Where'd you get it? I'm trying to figure out what to do for my background. I don't want to tape something or paint it. But film sounds good.


i bought the film at lowes. here's the link below.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_88113-74130...m&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=window+film&facetInfo=


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## iNinja (Apr 7, 2014)

here's a pic of the waterproof LED kit i used. it was only about $27 shipped. make sure when you search for it that the kit includes everything along with the power supply. just cut the roll into whatever lengths you need. the strip is marked where exactly it's safe to cut. the roll is 16.5 feet. get the appropriate connectors and splitters you need depending on how many strips you do.








here's more colors. all the pics are taken with an iphone and iphones have a habit of not taking very good low light pictures.













































here's how i have the two strips run along the back. then i used a splitter to connect the two to the same control box. the backboard to reflect the light is just plain white foamboard. each end is also covered by a thin piece of foamboard to 'box' it in.












































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thanks for subscribing. now i hope i don't disappoint anyone. :icon_eek:


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## MWebee (Oct 9, 2013)

Love the background!


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## greaser84 (Feb 2, 2014)

Your tank is really cool, you did a good job. Some background plants would look good. I have some Ludwigia Repens sp. Rubin in a medium light tank, they grow very fast and stay red. They are also very cheap.


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## iNinja (Apr 7, 2014)

here's a short video. iphone makes the colors a little washed out but it looks much better in person. you can also do a search on youtube to see what effects these led strips do.

http://youtu.be/zPBTSX4tGIU


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## zetvi (Jun 12, 2013)

Subbed! Cant wait to see what u come up with to fill the tank!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## iNinja (Apr 7, 2014)

i ordered my plants from extraplant so i don't know how long it will take to process my order.


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## bsantucci (Sep 30, 2013)

Can you show a shot of the back with the foam board in place?


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## iNinja (Apr 7, 2014)

bsantucci said:


> Can you show a shot of the back with the foam board in place?


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## bsantucci (Sep 30, 2013)

Thanks man, appreciate it! I got mine up and running fairly similar.

I see you used a splitter for your strips, how did you get the second male end? Did you just unroll the full LED strip to get to the end of it and cut from that end? I used LED connnectors instead and don't like the extra wire I have to tuck away and bend, I think the splitter is a better route like you did.

Here's a shot of mine, brightness was a bit up but it came out similar to yours.


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## iNinja (Apr 7, 2014)

looks really good! yes, i used a splitter but i unrolled the whole strip and used the connector on the other end however i used a male to male pin like the picture below.


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## bsantucci (Sep 30, 2013)

So your other end was female? I got two male ends already so I don't think I'd need that male to male pin out. I thought it was a bit odd to get two male ends on mine haha.



iNinja said:


> looks really good! yes, i used a splitter but i unrolled the whole strip and used the connector on the other end however i used a male to male pin like the picture below.


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## iNinja (Apr 7, 2014)

yes, one end was male and the other was female. then i just got a splitter with all female ends. i'm not sure what i'll do with the extra 8.5 feet i have left.


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## bsantucci (Sep 30, 2013)

They sell connecting cables and control units on their own. I bought extra to light under my cabinets in the kitchen.



iNinja said:


> yes, one end was male and the other was female. then i just got a splitter with all female ends. i'm not sure what i'll do with the extra 8.5 feet i have left.


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## iNinja (Apr 7, 2014)

haha, i won't be lighting up my house, however maybe do something with it underneath the stand. it's a cinder block stand with a brand new empty 20 long underneath that i may put some blue clarkii in. i had one before and thought she was just so cool, haha. all my filtration and electrical cords go into the back wall and into a room on the other side, so the bottom is completely empty.


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## iNinja (Apr 7, 2014)

well, i hope everything eventually grows in and looks okay. :tongue:


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## iNinja (Apr 7, 2014)

just an update on the 75 in a little over 2 weeks. EI dosing with 216w of T5HO and pressurized co2.

i had a GDA issue at the beginning, so i decided to raise my light fixture. i have a drop ceiling, so i bought some shelf brackets from home depot that support up to 150lbs each and chain link that supports up to 545lbs so everything is plenty strong enough, and the added melamine shelf on top is convenient for more storage, even if i have to use a stool to reach up there. :red_mouth

you can see the algae that started to cover my 'river' sand, so once i get it under control, i'll suck it out and lay some fresh new white sand down.

i have a little bit of trimming to do, but everything is coming along nicely. however, the golden nesaea pedicallata seems to be a difficult plant for me to keep alive. i lost a few stems, but the rest seem firm and are very firmly planted, so i hope they will start to come back.

















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thanks for looking.


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## gt turbo (Sep 13, 2012)

I love this tank, and i must say that i too am a big fan of a stauro carpet. There is only one thing i would do, which is to add a rock on the right side to tie the two sides together.


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## Little Soprano (Mar 13, 2014)

I love the look the blue LEDs give to the back of the tank! Subbed, can't wait to see it grow in more!


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Love that effect. It'd be worth it just for nighttime viewing. Very innovative!


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## iNinja (Apr 7, 2014)

thank you for the compliment!

i've considered doing that. i may move up the blyxa and put another rock in the middle.

the golden nesaea pedicallata on each side will probably end up being pulled as it's just not doing very well and the leaves are starting to fall off, so i'll be looking for another easier yellow plant to put there.


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## iNinja (Apr 7, 2014)

after a small trim


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## twkoch (Aug 29, 2013)

Snag some Blyxa and call it a day.


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## iNinja (Apr 7, 2014)

update.

i removed all my neon tetras (that was fun! *sarcasm*). my angels have now become big enough to snack on them. i found a half eaten body floating at the surface one morning, so i found it best to remove them all.

i also cleaned up the sand river as it was covered with algae, and added 2 cute little bristlenose plecos that i hardly ever see, haha.

my staurogyne repens carpet is coming in great.

do you think it would be safe to add 2 german blue rams ? the current stock now is 6 blue platinum and marble angels, 4 sae's, and 2 bristlenose plecos. i'm using an odyssea canister filter rated for 100 gallons. i've seen that rams make good tankmates for angels.



























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## Luxico (Jul 16, 2014)

The frosted background looks great. It gives the light a really nice glow effect, just like it would have in the sea.

Did you use a sticky film for this, or was it an already frosted panel?


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## iNinja (Apr 7, 2014)

thanks. it's frosted window film that i got at lowes.


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