# Box o'wood & crypts



## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Now the crypts, I bought two pots of crypt parva from my LFS.



















Now should I let them have a dry start or just fill it?


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

You planted them pretty densely, so I say just fill it. What other crypts are you putting in?

Nice wood by the way. I can't believe you found them at petsmart. Mine never have any.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I ordered some wendtii bronze from knuggs for my goldfish tank so I plan on planting some of the smaller ones in the back. I'm going to try to have a moss carpet area too, I ordered peacock moss from him. And maybe a small lotus in the corner. I have some in my ten gallon floating on their bulbs. 

Yea, my petsmart has mopani wood in the reptile section, it leeches tannins like crazy in the begining but purigen will take care of that!


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## Big O (Jun 28, 2011)

*osmocote plus caps*

Is that osmocote plus caps?
What size is that tank?
I might be wrong but that seems like way too much for that tank. 
I use 8 or 10 in my 29g and my plants are super healthy.
Nice start tho.
My dos pennies,
big o


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks for the positive thoughts!
There's osmocote plus and mts clay caps, it's a five gallon. 
My substrate is supposed to suck up ions so I'm hoping it will do so!


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## poppyseed (Feb 23, 2010)

Woo boy, is that mopani wood? I got a piece at petsmart forever ago. It lived in a 3 gallon forever, and it leached tannins foreeeveeer, as in it never stopped . I had that up and running for months and months.

Hope you fair better than I!

Looks good by the way  I am pumped to see people trying this tank out.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I have a huge piece in my fifty five gallon, I love the stuff, it sinks and never floats, I don't think it leaches that many tannins anymore. Pluss the texture is killer. 

I plan on using purigen in this tank to try and control the tannin level though. Im really loving the dimensions, I planned on this being a shrimp tank, but I would love to have this Pygmy cories in there too!


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## SpecGrrl (Jul 26, 2012)

Someone told me mopani might be too rough for my bettas fins.

Has your betta been fine with mopani?


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## SpecGrrl (Jul 26, 2012)

I too caved in and bought a Spec V, but will play around with a standard 5 first !


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Nice start. Looks promising. I wish I could get this tank; hopefully amazon starts selling it cause I sure could use the free shipping.


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

Looks like an amazing tank setup. If you selected crypts, i'd say fill it with water. the sooner the better.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

The mopani I have in my ten gallon betta tank and my 55 goldfish tank have both been dremmel sanded so all the sharper parts are dull. Plus I attached lots of plants to the one in my 10 g betta tank to help too.

Yea, I filled it last night, I have yet to check on it cuz I didn't spend the night at home last night. I'll take pic to show the tannins. 
I'm really hoping it turns out good!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Added the bronze crypts from knuggs, I hope the light is enough for the crypt parva, some leaves have turned yellowy...


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## SpecGrrl (Jul 26, 2012)

Pretty!

I bought Malaysian Driftwood yesterday and am boiling it now.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

My mopani leeched tannins for about 4 months, just do a water change when the water gets too dark and obstructs too much light. 

I didn't boil it, boiling just reduces the life of the wood and speeds up the decay.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Mopani is the best. Though right now I have the Slime on the wood...I put some pond snails in there to help...


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Current pic from yesterday after the water change...


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## Taari (Jul 31, 2010)

Crypt parva is low light like any other crypt. The reason it's turning yellow is because it's melting because it's conditions changed. Just let the rhyzomes be, they will grow back.

Looking good so far, but I think you should continue the taller crypts all the way to the right corner, or add something else there. It's looking pretty empty.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I'm thinking of buying the fluval co2 system, the 20g one to help kick start my nanos, it's cheap and I would only use it to help the plants grow in the beginning, do you think the crypts would benefit and then do ok when I remove the co2? 

I'll have to find more crypts to plant too, to be able to fill up the tank more...I wanted to do a moss carpet because I want this to be a shrimpie tank.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

This is it. 

http://www.kensfish.com/moreinfo/fluval-mini-pressurized-co2-kit-20g.html


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

So Im pretty sure I'm going to go with this, it will help me get my low techs going and get them to where I want them faster.


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

Seriously, don't buy that thing! I just bought one a couple week's ago and it's not worth it at all. From what I read on here you're better off dosing excel then using the supplied "diffuser." I used it with a ceramic diffuser and it ran out in two days. I even turned it off at night. I'm returning mine to Amazon. You'd be better off doing some DIY. 

Tank's looking good by the way.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks! I did already buy it it's was only twenty three so no worries, hopefully I can make it work!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)




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## Drift Monkey (Mar 26, 2012)

I like the hardscape/plants...these Spec Vs are pretty cool!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks Drift Monkey!
Im thinking I would like to plant the rest of the tank with more crypt parva and add the moss somewhere else. I also hooked up the co2 today I'm planning on filling the chambers 1-2 times per day, hoping to boost the crypt growth, helping them the c.parva to take root good and the other crypts to spread.


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## andrewss (Oct 17, 2012)

nice spec v


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks!
Im thinking about breaking this down and putting the plants in a 2.5 and maybe some of the drift wood, im moving into a different room in my house and want to make it as organized and simple as possible, that means less is more.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Officially broke this tank down and moved it to a 2.5 gallon, pics to come this weekend.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

New tank same stuff =]


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

Nice! I like this scape better. Much more interesting yet, simple.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks! 
The other was just to thin...I needed more for it. 
I'm planning on using a pb co2 setup for a bit on this to help it fill out, then I'll take it off once its to where I want it. I'm also going to add more crypt parva in front of the crypt wendtii to help slope it, so your not seeing stems so much.


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## bacon5 (Jul 25, 2011)

Wow really neat piece of wood! Have you thought about tying moss to it? Love all of the crypts btw


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks, I have though about it, but I plan on filling this with bright green crypts and I like the contrast of the dark wood with the green =]

I did think about maybe something right in front of the wood, something bright green, any suggestions?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I added co2 to this tank, bought the ultimate setup from nilocg. 
I don't know anything about co2 but I plan on learning! 
I figured out how to put it together...I followed the directions on how to do the co2 drop checker but I used the 4 dkh solution instead of water. Now I have it going at a little less than 1 bps...
I hope I'm on the right track...
I'll take pics later when it gets dark!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Some crypts have melted but not a lot, and algae is growing on the glass, this tank sits in front of a window and right now it light source is mostly sunlight.


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## johnson18 (Apr 29, 2011)

xjasminex said:


> I added co2 to this tank, bought the ultimate setup from nilocg.


How do you like the ultimate setup from nilocg? I've been considering purchasing one myself. Are you still running the co2 on this tank? Did it help with the parva? Sorry for all the questions.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Sadly i let this tank just go to waste, the setup seems nice, although i dont know anything about co2...im using it now to help jump start growth on my aqueon that i just planted.


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## horsedude (Nov 10, 2012)

oh well I do that sometimes as well


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Lol, yea, life just kinda got in the way! I will be removing this thread from my sig too.


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