# Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword, Angels Rising - AGA 90g



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Nice look on the old tank. Looking forward to the new setup. I always like to see other angelfish tanks.


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## DavidZ (Nov 17, 2009)

the old looked great


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## Ariel301 (Sep 7, 2009)

Indeed, it was a beautiful tank. I'm looking forward to seeing how you set it up this time. Angelfish are great, good choice!


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## jmhart (Mar 14, 2008)

I'm excited to watch this. I always loved your "old" 75.


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## FrostyNYC (Nov 5, 2007)

Wow, your old tank is just fantastic. 

Do post pics of your new setup once it's complete.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Get me on the subscription list!


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## turbowagon (Dec 30, 2005)

Can't wait to see the new pics! The old one will be hard to top.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Those are awesome plant selections. They will make such a nice display in there.


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

Nice...that looks strangely similar to my plant list...Crypt wise anyway.:hihi:
Oh and your old tank was incredible.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Subscribed.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks folks. I'll post pics of the initial planting after I get a few packages in the mail later this week... planting a bunch of pots of C. parva should be nice and tedious. :help:



hydrophyte said:


> Those are awesome plant selections. They will make such a nice display in there.


The worry is too many big plants... we'll see how it works out!



Coltonorr said:


> Nice...that looks strangely similar to my plant list...Crypt wise anyway.:hihi:


Yep a few of 'em anyways!


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

gmccreedy said:


> Get me on the subscription list!





Church said:


> Subscribed.


I'm looking forward to it


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

Wait,, Pots of Parva?!!!! Subscribed!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Orlando said:


> Wait,, Pots of Parva?!!!! Subscribed!


Yeah, 6 pots of the FAN stuff that's just getting released. I'm impatient! :flick:


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## SCMurphy (Oct 21, 2003)

I'd leave out the C. usteriana. A 75 isn't deep enough to show of that plant, and the leaves covering the surface of the water shade out everything underneath them.


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## SearunSimpson (Jun 5, 2007)

macclellan said:


> Yeah, 6 pots of the FAN stuff that's just getting released. I'm impatient! :flick:


Is C. Parva rare or something? I've seen it brought up multiple times about it 'being release' and all this stuff? I've bought it up here multiple times for $4.88/pot, buy 2 get one free. I just wasn't aware it was so hard to come by...since it isn't really isn't for me?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

SCMurphy said:


> I'd leave out the C. usteriana. A 75 isn't deep enough to show of that plant, and the leaves covering the surface of the water shade out everything underneath them.


Yeah, I figure this is the case. I'm just curious about that plant (never kept it) and am getting a single specimen in trade. It probably won't stay permanently in this scape (same for the Barclaya and maybe A. ulvaceous... just testing).



SearunSimpson said:


> Is C. Parva rare or something? I've seen it brought up multiple times about it 'being release' and all this stuff? I've bought it up here multiple times for $4.88/pot, buy 2 get one free. I just wasn't aware it was so hard to come by...since it isn't really isn't for me?


AFAIK, it's never been mass produced by the aquatic nurseries here in the states. Things might be different in Canadeh.  See here for a recent discussion. Due to it's slow growth, it goes for ~$2 a plant on the forums, which is not an option if you want a hundred or so.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Here are some fish pics in the meantime....


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Gots a foreground:


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Looks great, Joel!

I just got some too... doesn't look like C. parva I've had in the past, but I've never seen it emersed grown... what's your opinion?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Same; never grown it emmersed. Frankly, I don't particularly care if it's the 'real' parva or not, as long as it is a small, green, slow growing plant, which it sure looks to be.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

macclellan said:


> Same; never grown it emmersed. Frankly, I don't particularly care if it's the 'real' parva or not, as long as it is a small, green, slow growing plant, which it sure looks to be.


Agreed. Got the same and I am content.


Keyhole looks sweeeeetttt.


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

That foreground looks awesome! 
Thats 5 pots...holy smoke!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Starting to fill in a bit after the initial obligatory crypt melt. Still some big holes in the layout though - I received babies of huge crypts, so it will take some time. The angels are growing fast. Lots of personality too!

I'll try to get some decent pics up this weekend.

Here's a quick thumbnail pic:


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

The tank looks old school. I like it a lot. Reminds me of back in the day when I would look at the old aquarium books that my library had. :thumbsup:


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## mumushummus (Sep 16, 2009)

neat look! i love it!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

macclellan said:


> I'm going for a 'classic' aquarium with a jungly feel to it using big plants (crypts and apons) and angelfish.





CL said:


> The tank looks old school. I like it a lot.


I guess I'm getting the desired look. Thanks!


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## EdTheEdge (Jan 25, 2007)

CL said:


> The tank looks old school. I like it a lot. Reminds me of back in the day when I would look at the old aquarium books that my library had. :thumbsup:


Exactly!

That is the tank I wish I had over 40 years ago!!!!!

Great Job!


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

macclellan said:


> I guess I'm getting the desired look. Thanks!


Haha, I didn't even realize that you said that you were going for the "classic" look
:thumbsup:


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Had to pull a plant. I had no idea A. crispus could get this big! It would look great in a 40"+ tall tank (for reference, I'm 5'9")!


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

Wow!:0


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## JennaH (Sep 28, 2009)

holy crap! it looks like seaweed almost!


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## jmhart (Mar 14, 2008)

Excellent!


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## agoins (Nov 2, 2009)

macclellan said:


> Had to pull a plant. I had no idea A. crispus could get this big! It would look great in a 40"+ tall tank (for reference, I'm 5'9")!


haha wow that is awesome. 

I have an angel fish if I can make up my mind if I want to get rid of him or not. It is either him or shrimp in my new tank. Let me know if you would interested in him. 









He is pretty big. ( haha at old picture of tank)


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

agoins said:


> He is pretty big. ( haha at old picture of tank)


How big is big? Is he pretty much solid silver? Most of mine are all black or nearly all black; s/he looks cool, but might stick out a bit in my tank.


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## JAXON777 (Dec 30, 2006)

macclellan said:


>


What is the plant in the front left foreground of this picture? Is it *Ranunculus inundatus*. Whatever it is I like it. Nice tank BTW


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

This is a beautiful tank!


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

JAXON777 said:


> What is the plant in the front left foreground of this picture? Is it *Ranunculus inundatus*. Whatever it is I like it. Nice tank BTW


Yes it is


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## idontknow (May 9, 2008)

Beautiful tank......love the old one as well


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Yes *Jaxon*, you are correct on the ID. Thanks *Craig* and *idontknow*!

I need to post some new pics, I know, I know...

Updates:
Passed along the black skirt and few serpae tetras I have.

Added a school of 30 red eye tetras. Saaaweeeet!

Added 'Purple Bamboo.' I've actually got it in the mid/foreground. I'm trying to break the 'short plants up front & tall plants in the back rule' somewhat by having some tall stuff up front, both in the front corners and elsewhere to convey a sense of density and fullness. Pretty much the exact opposite of the trendy minimalism. There's still negative space in this tank, but folks need to realize that negative space is a relative concept, not an absolute one.

Some of the bigger crypts, which I got as babies, are finally starting to peak their crowns over the driftwood.

Will add some Blyxa aubertii soon. Gosh I miss having that plant.

This tank may be short-lived. I know someone selling a 155g bowfront in a few months, so I might move the contents over and sell this tank. I've always wanted a 6' tank, and this might be my chance!


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

macclellan said:


> Yes *Jaxon*, you are correct on the ID. Thanks *Craig* and *idontknow*!
> 
> I need to post some new pics, I know, I know...
> 
> ...


Go for it, a 6' tank is sweet. I know it was my tank of all times. Can't wait to get mine setup.

Craig


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

I checked out the 155bow my buddy has and decided to pass - the glass and rims were in good shape but the black silicone was separating a bit due to creeping coraline algae. It's only aesthetic, but really stands out since it is black. I'm saving up for a 175g. 

Anways, *back to this tank* for the next few months. Major hack on left side, and moved a few things around. Needs to grow back in. The Crypt. parva dropped all of the emmersed leaves and the new submersed ones are much smaller, some are starting to send runners. The Red Eyed Tetras are awesome and the angels are growing unbelievably fast.


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## Niyona (Feb 20, 2010)

Wow hun! This tank is stunning. I actually really like the way it looks right now. The right side filled in and the left side openish.

It's fantastic!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Niyona said:


> Wow hun!


hun? Do I know you? Clinton, TN? Thanks though!


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

macclellan said:


> hun? Do I know you? Clinton, TN? Thanks though!


ROFL you west-coaster!

EVERYONE is "hun" to us southerners! :icon_cool

The tank is looking awesome.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

West-Coaster? Born and raised in Ohio! I hear hun a lot here in Tennessee, but never seen it in print. Shouldn't it be "hon"? Live and learn!


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## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

i like your tank good job!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Here's a top-down photo showing (clockwise starting from noon): wendtii 'green gecko', walkeri, parva, and undulata:


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Oh, and here's a pic of our latest acquisition, Canis lupus familiaris var 'ankle terrorist':


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

macclellan said:


> Canis lupus familiaris var 'ankle terrorist'


:icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol:

You seriously just made me LOL

What is s/he? A JRT or mix?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

She's supposedly a rat terrier mix (her mom was dropped off at a shelter, father unknown), but the differences between RT and JRT "breeds" are marginal to nonexistent. I posted some pics of her mom on a rat terrier forum and half said she looked like a rattie, the other half JRT. We've decided to be content with the fact that she's "cute"


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Oh TOO cute!

Ya'll have got your hands full with her. :fish:


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Coming from a person with a rat terrier, she is definitely favoring the breed. Such a cute! I love your crypts!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

sewingalot said:


> Coming from a person with a rat terrier, she is definitely favoring the breed.


 How do you tell the difference?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Pulled almost all of the C. parva - it's just too short for this layout. 
Added some wendtii 'green' (front left) and more 'green gecko' (middle) to take its place.
Added a C. beckettii and usteriana (against my better judgment) to the back for some more large crypts.
Added some Amazon swords to the back-right for some balance against the large Tiger Lily on the left.
Added several Lagendera thwaitesii and Eriocaulon aquaticum to the midground.

Pics in a few days once everything is settled.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Added a group of Congo tetras - sweet!


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Pictures!


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

No pics- it hasn't happened. :icon_evil


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Yeah yeah... I also got some C. spiralis, C. lucens, and a baby E. martii (ruffled sword), but that and everything new from post #56 is still floating - I'll post pics tonight after planting and WC.

I think this is where things currently stand, flora-wise:
Aponogeton longifolia
Barclaya longifolia 'Red'
Cryptocoryne beckettii
C. blassii
C. crispatula ‘balansae’
C. crispatula ‘flaccidifolia’
C. parva
C. pontederiifolia
C. spiralis (may be C. crispatula ‘flaccidifolia’…. we’ll see).
C. walkeri
C. wendtii ‘bronze’, ‘florida sunset’, ‘green’, ‘green gecko’, ‘red’ 
C. x willisii ‘Lucens’
C. undulata
C. usteriana
Echinodorus amazonicus
E. angustifolia 'vesuvius'
E. martii
E. tennellus ‘micro’
Eriocaulon aquaticum
Hygrophila corymbosa ‘angustifolia’
Lagendera thwaitesii
Nymphaea lotus 'Zenkeri'
Nymphaea stellata
Poeceae sp. ‘Purple Bamboo’
Polygonum sp. ‘Sao Paulo’
Vallisneria nana


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

how long are the leaves on your A. longifolia? Ive always been impressed with the pictures of this plant, but it always seemed too big for a 65g. I ordered bulbs once but they just rotted and ive been too scared to order another and have it be ginormous.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

So far, the leaves of the A. longifolia are about 24" (you can see it in the front-right corner of the first pic below). They are quite thin though, about as wide as C. 'balansae'


Here are some pics... sorry for all the bubbles, just did a WC, and sorry that the tetras are in hiding...

FTS - It will be _awhile_ before the swords and mid-ground crypts grow in...hence the large gaps in this 'scape... sigh. At least the pontederiifolia, blassii, and Barclaya are finally starting to peak over the wood, and the crispatula ‘flaccidifolia’ background is mostly grown in (save the back-left).









Out of focus, but here's a party:









The star of our show:


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

sewingalot said:


> Coming from a person with a rat terrier, she is definitely favoring the breed.





macclellan said:


> How do you tell the difference?


Well? lol


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

WOW!! your star of the show is a star indeed!


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## pianofish (Jan 31, 2010)

Beautiful angels! Your crypts look fantastic. How long did it take you to grow out your balansae and the other varieties similar to it in the background? Or did you just buy in bulk?
Your pal,


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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

wow! that's beautiful. nice marble too.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks guys!

@Chad - Actually, you can see the A. longifolius leaves better in the second pic than in the first. They are behind that Keyhole cichlid, and have wavy leaf margins. They are a very green green. Compare to the 'balansae' (bullate) just behind it and the 'flaccidifolia' in the left of photo.

@Piano - The background is mostly C. 'flaccidifolia', which is a bit different than 'balansae' (leaves are a bit thinner and non-bullate). 'Balansae are along the right wall. You're looking at about $25 of both (like 5 pots of 'flac' and 5 'balansae' plants) + 4 months of growth, - selling the extraneous runners. If/when I get the 175g tank to replace this, I'll definitely be placing some dividers in the substrate to contain the 'flaccidifolia' root system and runners - it is just _ridiculous_! Pull on one established plant and your entire tank gets uprooted (only a mild exaggeration).

@ Ye Ole Punk - Yeah, she's a beaut!


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

well if you ever decide to get rid of the longiplumulosis id trade you a .........aaaaah, I got nothing, that thing is amazing in your hands!!! And yes the koi marble is amazingly beautiful too! cant wait to see her in about 6 months!!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

I don't know if it will propagate other than from seed. Anyways, I got it from sweetaquatics.com - it was just a few $ and shipping was free since it was part of a large order. It was small when I got it, but the bulb was healthy and growth has been steady ever since.


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## Harsh (Jan 14, 2007)

Very natural looking tank. Beautiful !


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Gorgeous!

I love that last koi angel, he's really nice.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks! More pics...


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Nobody likes my pichers? _Runs away crying..._


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## jargonchipmunk (Dec 8, 2008)

I'll comment on your wonderful pictures if I can steal that lotus when my tank goes up.


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

that is one of the best looking lotuses ive ever seen. what kind is it?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

macclellan said:


> Nobody likes my pichers? _Runs away crying..._


What a DQ!! :icon_roll

That IS a fabulous lotus.

Your Congo tetra looks sad. IDK why, but he does.



Will any more random comments make you happier?

:flick:


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

That congo has "I need a friend" written all over him like his owner has "I like comments on my pichers" written all over himself. Man, youve got alot of cool stuff, stuffed in that tank! ive never seen a lotus like that either. You must have some sorta knack for gettin lucky! Keep posting those fancy-schmancy pitchers, your a great photographer.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Exactly the kinds of comments I expected. It was only pointing to the irony of how people comment giving me crap for NOT posting pictures and then when I post pictures, get no comments. 

Game on! 

Oh, and I routinely sell the offspring of that lotus in the SnS for cheap.
Oh #2, that Congo has 8 friends, so isn't too lonely.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

PM me when you part it out again, id like to try it too.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

C. hudoroi and a unique white petioled wendtii 'copper' morph are coming in the mail this week - rad!


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

macclellan said:


> C. hudoroi and a unique white petioled wendtii 'copper' morph are coming in the mail this week - rad!


Nice finds I want pics when you get them, if not you can send them to me and I'll put htem to good use errr I mean take pictures for you.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Will do Craig, option #1 I mean. 

I'm on the lookout for the following if anybody spots 'em:
Cryptocoryne affinis
C. aponogetifolia
C. cordata 'rosanervig'
C. undulata 'broad leaves'
C. wendtii 'Mi Oya'
C. wendtii 'Tropica'


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

macclellan said:


> Will do Craig, option #1 I mean.
> 
> I'm on the lookout for the following if anybody spots 'em:
> Cryptocoryne affinis
> ...


Speedie408 jsut had some Mi Oyas for sale, I've got tropica if they ever grow and and I can tell who is who, I may also have a rosanervig if what I was told was coming is true but not holding my breath at this point as it is a mixed crypt package.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

I just sent *speedie* a PM. Thanks for the tip.

The rosanervig should be very easy to spot given its leaf size, shape and veining. The wendtii tropica have pretty wide leaves for a wendtii, with kinda rounded tips and are pretty hammered.


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

I think I know which one is my Tropica then, I'll upload some video in a few days of my setup once my incoming Trident gets here and put into place. Tank looks bare with the Java Fern 'Tropica' gone now and not pic worthy.

Craig


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

macclellan said:


> How do you tell the difference?


Well since you made me feel guilty about not answering......:tongue:

A rat terrier has a smoother coat always where a JR can have either rough or smooth coats, RT is not as hefty as a JR in its frame - longer torso and shorter legs. Rat terriers are more dainty in bone structure and its head is more chiseled than a jack russell.

Also, a little bit of information on the breed. They do not deal well with children and can snap at them if teased. And they do not typically like animals outside of their homes as they age.


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## benon (Feb 18, 2010)

This tank makes me want a "crypt of angels." It has an incredibly natural feel to it.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

macclellan said:


> The star of our show:


:drool: This is one beautiful angelfish, by the way. Are you planning on pairing it off with a mate? You totally should and then send me lots of babies!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks, *benon*.

Aya, our dog, must be a rat terrier then. Actually, we saw her side-by-side with a JRT at the park the other day and the differences were pretty stark. Like comparing a bulldog to a boxer. They look the same, but not really...

There are 8 Angels in this tank, so some should pair up. Hopefully that koi is one of them - so far s/he is the most dominant, which I assume equals breeding rights based on past experience with cichlids.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Yeah, there is a pretty noticeable difference. Aya is a pretty dog. Be sure to update the pictures as she grows. I bet the crypts will make a welcoming spawning medium for the angels. I always noticed the prettier the fish in a group, the more dominant they seem to become. Do you experience that as well?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Yeah, coloration in fish expresses dominance for sure.

C. hudoroi:









C. wendtii 'bronze' (with a curious onlooker):


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

LOL for some reason your pics wouldn't load till I refreshed my page, so I all I saw at first was your comment about color dominance and then 2 Crypt names... I was going, there's dominance in Crypts, too??


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

Mac- Ghanzifar has a bunch of nice crypts in the SnS if you haven't seen the post yet. Including a Rosanverig (sp?)


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Yeah, I saw that post, but thanks. I've got a lead on a submersed C. cordata 'rosanervig', so I'll probably wait on that. Nothing else struck my fancy, at least without photos.


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## AoxomoxoA (Apr 22, 2010)

Beauty'sroud:& yeah the lotus rocks

Also I have a JRT & you're correct, while similar they're also very different. They do however share a knowledge of the same facial expression lol


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

A few random textservations:

Tank almost crashed after a power outage I never noticed that caused my GFCI to trip, resulting in no circulation for >12 hours. Blood pressure rise. Water change. No harm, no foul.
3x Geisemann 6000k bulbs + an Aquablue plus. Looks very icky. Time for some special k intervention.
Erio. acuaticum is rad. And quite tall.
The Lagendera thwaitesii I got and thought died, didn't. Hope it does something. Except die.
The C. hudoroi is nothing like I expected. And that's a bad thing.
Sold 3 Angels, putting me down to 5. They is big!
Red Eyed Tetras are scaredy cats. Unless they see food.
Conga tetras have finally learned that they aren't Red Eyed Tetras. Probably because they aren't scaredy pussies.
Loud noises!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Another random insight: The greatest thing since sliced bread is higher quality bread and a knife.


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

What don't you like about that Hudoroi? That Bronze you have pictured is really sweet looking though. I do think a Cordata Rosenervig would add some great color to your tank, after looking at mine that jsut came in such a cool specimen.

Craig


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

I had the impression that they got quite large like this, but now am hearing that they stay small like these are. Don't get me wrong, it's a neat little crypt (basically a shorter, wider leaved, more bullate wendtii), but I have been looking for bigger midground crypts.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Oh, and yeah, I look forward to getting a cordata, rosanervig or no. Those nice wide leaves would look really nice in this tank.


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

With out going back looking at what all you have. Have you considered C. Spiralis Dwarf, Mohlemanni, Mi Oya, and of course if you find one the Cordata Rosenervig would look really nice. Sorry if you have most of those already just mumbling out some that may be similar color of that Hudoroi you have pictured.

If that Hudoroi grows out and splits let me know I would love a small runner someday. I've got a couple that if I can grow them out looks liek they would make great midground crypts but without ID's I couldn't tell you what they are. Also The Becketti 'wild' might make a nice mid ground the ones I just got total stem and leaf length is about 6" or so.

Craig


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

macclellan said:


> Oh, and yeah, I look forward to getting a cordata, rosanervig or no. Those nice wide leaves would look really nice in this tank.


I'll snap a couple of pictures of mine when I return its still pretty tipped over but will probably take a few days to come back to perkiness. You can then put hte picture in your tank and find a good spot for it. :icon_mrgr


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## SHMaRiM (Apr 21, 2010)

What are the orangish/reddish/yellowish tall plants in the background on the left and right? and what are the grassy plants in the foreground on the right?

Im reffering to the first picture in this thread.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Craigthor said:


> Have you considered C. Spiralis Dwarf, Mohlemanni, Mi Oya


 Yes to the spiralis dwarf and wendtii mi oya. It's my understanding that Mohlemanni is pretty much identical submersed to C. pontederiifolia, so I haven't bothered with it yet. Duly noted on the hudoroi runner.



20gnoob said:


> What are the orangish/reddish/yellowish tall plants in the background on the left and right? and what are the grassy plants in the foreground on the right?


 Rotala wallichii and Blyxa japonica, respectively.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Puzzle solved. What I received as C. hudoroi, is in fact C. longicauda.

[STRIKE]C. hudoroi[/STRIKE] C. longicauda


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

macclellan said:


> Puzzle solved. What I received as C. hudoroi, is in fact C. longicauda.
> 
> [STRIKE]C. hudoroi[/STRIKE] C. longicauda


That sucks!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

It's not all bad. They aren't exactly common crypts or anything, so surely someone will want them. I'll just grow a few new leaves to compensate for the melt and resell them for what I paid.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Hooray! I got a sad little Barclaya longifolia 'red' bulb with half a leaf from sweetaquatics.com a long time ago. After many months of coddling, it was big enough to be placed on the substrate and fight for a place amongst all of the big plants in this aquascape, and... it's finally winning! It's throwing off bigger and bigger leaves and finally peaked over the driftwood. I'm looking forward to seeing some of those bright red 16" leaves.

The single E. martii recovered from its trip here from Ohio and acclimated. It starting to throw out some nice, healthy, vibrant colored leaves.

The several E. amazonicus that were the worse for wear from being a day late, meaning I missed receiving them while I was in Ohio for four days (total of a week in a box) are recovering more slowly, but it looks like all will make it. They'll grow slow, at least at first since they're in the back right, shaded by all the tall Crypts there.

New plants coming Monday and Wednesday... will post photos then!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Oh - I've started saving for a 175g tank to replace this tank...

This little 75g thing will never hold the plants I want.... In fact, I may have to take the driftwood out this week to make room for the new crypts and swords that are coming. I'm starting to care less about aquascaping and more about interesting plants, reversing my personal trend over the last few years....


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I am falling in love with that last crypt. Love the shot of the dog looking at your crypt. I think he's wondering if it's edible.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

sewingalot said:


> I am falling in love with that last crypt. Love the shot of the dog looking at your crypt. I think he's wondering if it's edible.


Those crypts will likely be for sale once they recover if you want them. They aren't what they were sold to me as nor what I wanted. :help:

Yeah, Aya (the dog) has eaten plants on numerous occasions. Balansae leaves seem to be her favorite.  Once she got a handful of C. parva and destroyed them... they aint cheap and I was pissed!


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

macclellan said:


> Oh - I've started saving for a 175g tank to replace this tank...
> 
> This little 75g thing will never hold the plants I want.... In fact, I may have to take the driftwood out this week to make room for the new crypts and swords that are coming. I'm starting to care less about aquascaping and more about interesting plants, reversing my personal trend over the last few years....


 
Nothing wrong with that! If you sell anything interesting let me know. I'm pretty much tanked out and will be making a few swaps in the tank as a couple new things come in but mostly as they will already be identified. Got 3-4 planters that all look the same so I think I will swap a few of those out first.

Ever come through with that C. Cordata Rosenervig, and that sucks the Hudoroi wasn't the Hudoroi. Once I feel the My Oya is ready to split I will send you a plantlet to grow out, once settled in everything is starting to take off now.

Craig


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Still no rosanervig. That would be cool to get an 'oya'. 

I've got some more crypts coming later this week... which the seller shipped a day late and said he included extras to compensate... so no complaints here!


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

macclellan said:


> Still no rosanervig. That would be cool to get an 'oya'.
> 
> I've got some more crypts coming later this week... which the seller shipped a day late and said he included extras to compensate... so no complaints here!


There was a C. Cordata Rosenervig on APC yesterday for $30 TYD wasn't very big.

I'll keep you in the loop for the Oya, I may end up switching it out for something else as I have several Crypts that have fairly similar coloring.

Craig


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Sorry, I'd never pay $30 for a single aquarium plant. Period. 
Unless it does water changes, cleans filters, or something. 

That may mean I have to wait or will never get it. I'm completely fine with that.


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

macclellan said:


> Sorry, I'd never pay $30 for a single aquarium plant. Period.
> Unless it does water changes, cleans filters, or something.


But come on it was more then mine and half the size or less. :hihi: Maybe it does water changes you never know till you try. :biggrin:


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

I bought *three* nice plants from you for that price. Apples and Oranges! Red Herring! That included a $15 baby sword which already stretched my cheapness to the breaking point. 

Never say never, but $30 is a lot for a lil' plant. I've got lots of nice plants I routinely sell for a buck or two. I really doubt that plant is '30x cool,' especially considering that most specimens I've seen are underwhelming. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it also seems to be in the wallet of the $ holder...


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

macclellan said:


> I bought *three* nice plants from you for that price. Apples and Oranges! Red Herring! That included a $15 baby sword which already stretched my cheapness to the breaking point.
> 
> Never say never, but $30 is a lot for a lil' plant. I've got lots of nice plants I routinely sell for a buck or two. I really doubt that plant is '30x cool,' especially considering that most specimens I've seen are underwhelming. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it also seems to be in the wallet of the $ holder...


I know I think it had one little leaf maybe 2. I've bought quite a few off you recently as the prices are good. Sometimes I will buy a few jsut cause the price is right and to make the shipping worth while. USPS should give us plant sellers a discount. I remember when Priority Mail was garunteed in 3 days and only like $3 and some change.

Craig


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Got a new 1000k bulb to replace a Giesemann Daylight 6000k and swing the K balance up a bit away from yellow and once again all is right in this world.

Current bulb combo:
Bank 1: Giesemann Daylight 6000k & Current Slimpaq 10,000k daylight
Bank 2: Hagen GLO Life-GLO & Giesemann Powerchrome AquaBlue+

Pretty eclectic mix, I know...



Craigthor said:


> I remember when Priority Mail was garunteed in 3 days and only like $3 and some change.


Amen!


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## pianofish (Jan 31, 2010)

macclellan said:


> Sorry, I'd never pay $30 for a single aquarium plant. Period.
> Unless it does water changes, cleans filters, or something.


Ditto!!

Rosenervig only looks okaaayyy anyways...

So what is your crypt species number total now with the addition of C. longicauda?

I now got about 10 species in my 20 gal, thanks to good ole' Craigthor! Can I become a club member now? :icon_lol:


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

pianofish said:


> So what is your crypt species number total now with the addition of C. longicauda?


I have more coming tomorrow, so I'll know better then... but it's right around 20, if that includes varieties in addition to species... that'll probably be it too, seeing as the tank is maxed out...


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## pianofish (Jan 31, 2010)

Wow, nice man. Heh I can imagine with that many the tank might be alittle bit filled in. If you decide to part the sea, keep me in mind. 
Your pal,
Pianofish


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Wow, it's like Christmas around here! This week I got: 1x Echinodorus sp. 'AFlame', 2x C. beckettii 'wild', 3x C. spiralis 'Cook' sn, 3x C. spiralis 'dwarf', 3x C. mohlmanni, and several more C. pontederiifolia

I'll take some pics this weekend once I find time to plant everything...

Just for record-keeping purposes heres the complete flora list:
Aponogeton longifolia
Barclaya longifolia 'Red'
Cryptocoryne beckettii
C. becketii 'wild'
C. blassii
C. crispatula ‘balansae’
C. crispatula ‘flaccidifolia’
C. mohlmanni
C. parva
C. pontederiifolia
C. spiralis 'Cook' sn
C. spiralis 'dwarf
C. walkeri
C. wendtii ‘bronze’, ‘florida sunset’, ‘green’, ‘green gecko’, ‘red’, ‘red tall’ 
C. x willisii ‘Lucens’
C. undulata
C. usteriana
Echinodorus amazonicus
E. angustifolia 'vesuvius'
E. martii (maior)
E. tennellus 'micro'
E. sp. 'AFlame'
Eriocaulon aquaticum
Hygrophila corymbosa ‘angustifolia’
Lagendera thwaitesii
Nymphaea lotus 'Zenkeri'
Nymphaea stellata
Poeceae sp. ‘Purple Bamboo’
Polygonum sp. ‘Sao Paulo’
Vallisneria nana


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

awesome tank!!! love the look of all the crypts...by the way, what is your dosing schedule like??? I like how you manage keeping the crypt colors true and vibrant!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

chris.rivera3 said:


> awesome tank!!! love the look of all the crypts... I like how you manage keeping the crypt colors true and vibrant!


Thanks! 



chris.rivera3 said:


> by the way, what is your dosing schedule like?


As far as dosing, I stopped dosing for a few months and started getting some GSA, so I now stick to this routine: I dump some NPK (roughly 3/4tsp, 1/4tsp, 1/4tsp respectively) and micros (1/2tsp) in the tank just after a water change and maybe once later in the week. The substrate is Aquasoil with lots of mulm (~2 years old and never vaccumed) and root tabs (AP's horse-pill sized Pond Tabs). 

There isn't too much nutrient uptake in this tank since there are only a select few stem plants and my photoperiod, while bright, is relatively short to keep the algae at bay. So, I don't worry too much about dosing. I just keep the co2 & flow high, and have lots of biofiltration - this is key to preventing algae in my opinion...


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

what are you doing for biofiltration??? should I add anything to my canister filter aside from the media baskets?



macclellan said:


> have lots of biofiltration - this is key to preventing algae in my opinion...


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

chris.rivera3 said:


> what are you doing for biofiltration??? should I add anything to my canister filter aside from the media baskets?


2 Rena canister filters, an XP1 and an XP3 for a total of two baskets of biomedia (.5 and 1.5 respectively). 

Your biofiltration might be enough... I don't know enough about your setup to judge.


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

I only have an XP3 on my 40 breeder but the circulation seems to be slowing down. I'll try to clean up the tubes and see if it makes any difference, however I've been considering removing the XP3 and replacing it with 2 xp2


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

E. martii is throwing out some nice long leaves now.
As is B. longifolia 'red'
New crypts are settling in.
Pics soon.
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
So do the red ones.
Sometimes.



chris.rivera3 said:


> I only have an XP3 on my 40 breeder but the circulation seems to be slowing down. I'll try to clean up the tubes and see if it makes any difference, however I've been considering removing the XP3 and replacing it with 2 xp2


An XP3 should be more than enough filtration and flow on a 40B.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Oh, I've been pricing large tanks... and can get an 8' 240g tank for about the same price as a 6' 175g... it would actually be cheaper to get an 8' tank since it will allow me to use my current 4' t5ho fixture for "half" my light, or at least that's what I'm telling myself and wife. Circulation and filtration might make it end up spendier, but that will be 'news' _after_ the tank is in house. :hihi:


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

macclellan said:


> Oh, I've been pricing large tanks... and can get an 8' 240g tank for about the same price as a 6' 175g... it would actually be cheaper to get an 8' tank since it will allow me to use my current 4' t5ho fixture for "half" my light, or at least that's what I'm telling myself and wife. Circulation and filtration might make it end up spendier, but that will be 'news' _after_ the tank is in house. :hihi:


Do it! That is alot of tank though, maybe a pair or trio of Eheim 2262's for filtration.

Craig


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

macclellan said:


> but that will be 'news' _after_ the tank is in house. :hihi:


hahahahaha!!! i wish I could do that...i'm fortunate enough for my wife to allow me to place a tank on her kitchen countertop...macclellan, I bow down to you if you can get the 8' tank


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Updizzle.

The larger Crypt, Sword, and Barclaya species, which have taken a few months to grow up from mere sprigs, have finally hit critical mass and are growing very quickly now. It's finally starting to shape up as intended to a 'big' mature tank. Gonna let the tank be for a few months and just fill in. The E. martii is throwing out brilliant leaves and the E. 'AFlame' just threw out a new leaf, which is almost black. Has my tank been Twilightified? Oh noes! :icon_eek: On the downside, I believe one Angel has fallen.  I suppose that's better than 'turned.'

If anybody wants to send a few Blyxa jap. my way, let me know!

Fish decided not to hide for a change. Tank is about to go to lights off, so CO2 is at max. sat. and pearling is off the chain. Please pardon the bubblestorm!







































Craigthor said:


> maybe a pair or trio of Eheim 2262's for filtration.


 Well, I know for a fact that I won't be spending $1000-$1,500 on filters. Probably go with a sump if I went that big.


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

This tank is just stunning! Hope my emmersed setup looks this good once it fills in.


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## Beeya (Mar 29, 2010)

Gorgeous. I love your congo tetras.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks guys! The one change I want to make is pulling most of the C. wendtii 'green' because it aint green - mostly mottled brown - and replacing it with the C. lutea, which you can see to its left, and is actually all green.

I absolutely love the Eriocaulon aquaticum. I got it from someone who collected them locally in the US. I won't be at all surprised if they are fairly widespread amongst serious hobbyists once supply gets around. Hopefully I can recoup my costs on those guys someday - not cheap!

Craig, yours should fill in great with all the plants you've thrown in there and with that misting system - plus no algae to worry about.


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## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

Beautiful tank mac, I love your angels


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

macclellan said:


> Updizzle.


Oh I haven't seen this setup in a while. It's looking great. What an excellent study in the variation in this group of plants.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks *chase* and *Hydro*!

Ladies and Gents, my wife and I were talking today and she said WHEN (not if) you get the bigger tank... yada yada yada, so it's official, this tank is on a limited life span and we're goin' big and nastay!  I'm teaching a summer class, so the extra few $K will make this happen soon.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

The tank looks like a very well planted snowglobe with all of those CO2/ O2 bubbles swirling around in there. :biggrin:


macclellan said:


> Thanks *chase* and *Hydro*!
> 
> Ladies and Gents, my wife and I were talking today and she said WHEN (not if) you get the bigger tank... yada yada yada, so it's official, this tank is on a limited life span and we're goin' big and nastay!  I'm teaching a summer class, so the extra few $K will make this happen soon.


Yayyyy! If you wanna unload that 75 setup, I could always make a trip down to pick it up 
But then again, I have way too many future projects swirling around in my head.

BTW, is that barclaya longifolia 'red' back there? I was reading about it today (reseaching my SE Asia biotope) and it sounded interesting. How wide/ tall does it get for you?


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

macclellan said:


> Thanks *chase* and *Hydro*!
> 
> Ladies and Gents, my wife and I were talking today and she said WHEN (not if) you get the bigger tank... yada yada yada, so it's official, this tank is on a limited life span and we're goin' big and nastay!  I'm teaching a summer class, so the extra few $K will make this happen soon.


Better get it ordered before she cahnges her mind. You have room for an 8' 240 right?


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Craigthor said:


> Better get it ordered before she cahnges her mind. You have room for an 8' 240 right?


There was one with a stand, lights, and "gravel" in my area for $250 on CL last week.
Almost convinced myself to get it too, but I don't think the rents would be too comfortable when I told them how I planned on adding addition support to the floor to support the tank :hihi:


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

We took measurements and discussed rearranging the living room... It's fareal. Plenty of space for an 8' tank; it will be on an empty 12' wall. I found a new 180 cheap (72x24x24), so it looks like it is between that and the 240g (96x24x24). The dimensions on the 180 are a bit more proportional, and ideally, I'd go with a 96x36x36, but the costs of tanks with glass panes that large are pretty painful (sorry for the pun  ) at >$2k for the tank alone.

*CL* - The Barclaya: I got it as a sad specimen with 1/2 a leaf. With TLC and about 4 months of time, I've gotten it to the current size. It just hit critical mass and will get truly large in short order now that it has leaves in the higher PAR region of the tank. I've read that it gets 16" leaves + petioles, so yeah, it's a massive plant.

I'll probably keep this 75g tank. I'm planning a paludarium. 

As for a used 240g for $250... I'm not real keen on a used tank that large, even on a rental property. That's a lot of water. Peace of mind is worth a lot to me. roud:


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## jmhart (Mar 14, 2008)

When I was putting together my 120g, I considered a 180 and even a 240. Eventually, obviously, I went with the 120. However, I too felt that the 240 was just a little too disproportionate. The 120 feels a little squat to me, but it's what fit in the space I decided to use.

A 6'x2'x2' 180g is the PERFECT tank. 

However, 8' of viewing area would be AWESOME, if you can get past the oddity of it being so long and so [relatively] short.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Yeah, that's the rub. 4' tanks are common, 6' are rarer and neat, but 8' would be truly amazing. Size matters!










However, the 180g, 6'x2'x2', has a ratio of 3:1:1, which is close to lots of other tanks with ratios I like, such as a 20L - 30:12:12. The 240 is 8'x2'x2' = 4:1:1. I could live with 96"x30"x30", which is 3.2:1:1. However, that's almost 400g(!) and $1,800...

The other thing to consider is tank quality. The 180 is an AGA. The 240 would be GC...

Hmmm, time to do some soul searching. :icon_twis


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

Also if you ever move you have to have room for the 8' tank where ever you go. I know I could make room anywhere for my 6' tank may be tight but it would fit.

Craig


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

An 8' tank is the sort of thing you _make_ room for.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

I'm heading down to Gatlinburg tonight or tomorrow night to check out an 96"x24"x30" tank (320g) with stand, driftwood, and judging by the description - 15" tall and 12" diameter - a canister filter, since I don't know of any other kind of round filters. It was apparently removed from a restaurant lobby by this guy, and he has no interest in keeping it... this could be a good score!


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## jmhart (Mar 14, 2008)

macclellan said:


> I'm heading down to Gatlinburg tonight or tomorrow night to check out an 96"x24"x30" tank (320g) with stand, driftwood, and judging by the description - 15" tall and 12" diameter - a canister filter, since I don't know of any other kind of round filters. It was apparently removed from a restaurant lobby by this guy, and he has no interest in keeping it... this could be a good score!


Not if I get there first! :icon_twis



As if.....

The wife would kill me, I've already got a 100g sitting in my garage I'm trying to get rid of.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Tank and stand, which I'd probably reface with plywood. Includes a Fluval FX5, which is nice. Asking price is $975, which is pretty steep, IMHO...


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## jmhart (Mar 14, 2008)

Yeah, that's steep, but for that sized tank, you probably won't find better on the used market....and it's A LOT cheaper than new.


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

I'm confused....did you get this tank??? or are you just considering this tank???

....I think you should go with the 8' tank...not only is it rare and amazing, it also allows for longer schooling space (in case you get schooling fish)




macclellan said:


> Tank and stand, which I'd probably reface with plywood. Includes a Fluval FX5, which is nice. Asking price is $975, which is pretty steep, IMHO...


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## FSM (Jan 13, 2009)

That's not a bad price, but it isn't great. I almost scored a 7x2x2 for $400 but the guy changed his mind. Most large tanks I see for sale are reefs with a ton of equipment I don't need and a price in the thousands.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

That tank is sooooo big


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

Sure has lots of potential though, could always go offer $800 cash.


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

so whats going on??? whats the status?? or decision?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Checked it out. Tank wasn't in very good shape (scratched glass, silicone was bad). I passed.


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## jmhart (Mar 14, 2008)

macclellan said:


> Checked it out. Tank wasn't in very good shape (scratched glass, silicone was bad). I passed.



Sucks that you made the drive for nothing, at least it wasn't too terribly far.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Well, let's get back to _this_ tank for the time being, even if it is just now effectively just a prelude for bigger, and hopefully better, things to come. I'll be receiving an order of plants this week. I dropped some coin for some potentially large plants for this tank & in anticipation of having more space to work with in the nearish future.

1 x Crinum Calamistratum
4 x Cryptocoryne Walkeri Pot
1 x Pennywort (Hydocotyle Leucocephyala)
1 x Hygrophila Corymbosa 'Kompakt' (Potted)
3 x Echinodorus Parviflorious (Rosette) MED
1 x Echinodorus "Red Flame" MD 
1 x Echinodorus Rubin MD
3 x Vallisneria Asiatica Var. Biwaensis (Corkscrew Val)

I'm looking forward to some new toys. This will be first time with that Crinum, H. 'Kompact' and E. Rubin & E. 'Red Flame', so I'm pretty excited about those, as well as returning to some favorites I've had in the past, which are also 'classics,' particularly pennywort, corkscrew vals, and the E. parviflorious. What doesn't fit will go in my shrimp tank for holding.

Cheers!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Okay, so I just took out the driftwood in anticipation of the plant order arriving tomorrow and *I love it!* Sure, I had a lot of fun in college, but thought that my days of 'going dutch' were passed. Apparently not! It opens things up a lot and makes it look so much more vibrant - more green & less brown.

I'll post pics once things arrive and are planted tomorrow or Friday.


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## globali (May 29, 2010)

Very nice.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

^D8

Gosh, this batch resizer I'm using waaay oversharpens. Ew.

Here are some tank pics now that the tank is hardscape-free and since I've added some new plants (mentioned on last page).

So, Crypt. wendtii 'green' isn't green. Who knew? Pulled it and replaced with 4 pots of C. willisii... about 2 pots short frankly...









3/4








3/4









Can't wait for the Crinum to grow in. And no, you can't see it in this picture. 









The Echinodorus x 'Red Flame' is AWESOME. I can't wait for the the AFlame to grow in or for the Hygro. 'Kompact' to switch to submersed growth.









I LOVE these new dwarf swords. I'm going to get another dozen or so after the tank upgrade.


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

Nice!! Where do you find these dwarf swords?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks Orlando. They are Echinodorus parviflorus (not the 'Tropica' version, which I've had in the past and which has more hammered and lanceolate leaves), and I got them from SweetAquatics.com This is my third order from them, and I've been satisfied every time. Healthy, cheap plants, fast delivery with cold pack, and free shipping over $45.


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## jmhart (Mar 14, 2008)

macclellan said:


> Thanks Orlando. They are Echinodorus parviflorus (not the 'Tropica' version, which I've had in the past and which has more hammered and lanceolate leaves), and I got them from SweetAquatics.com This is my third order from them, and I've been satisfied every time. Healthy, cheap plants, fast delivery with cold pack, and free shipping over $45.



I've ordered from them a number of times now as well. I'm been very happy with them. The plants are clean, healthy, good portions and shipping has always been very prompt. The $45 mark for free shipping is nice....when I've been below it, I just filled up my order with olive nerites to bump it up.


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## nemosreef (Oct 19, 2007)

Very nice tank.


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

any updates?


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## Lycosa (Oct 16, 2006)

Beautiful tank. I'm subscribing late into the thread, but not _too_ late.

The name alone hooked me.. "Crypt of Angels".. nice


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## justinq (Dec 6, 2006)

Wow, I'm subscribing to this, even if you're planning on starting something new. I love this look - it might be "old school," but it's every bit as beautiful as any Amano style aquarium (and less common these days). This is pretty much the kind of look I _wanted_ to achieve in my 54 gallon. What I wanted and what I actually achieved are two different things (though my thread on that tank is not up to date, it's slightly closer now). I swear that some people have magical aquascaping skills.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks nemosreef, lycosa, and justinq!

Sorry for the lack of updates, I taught a summer course and then was out of town for 2 weeks. I just got back tonight to a healthy albeit overgrown tank. I'll provide a photo update over the next few days after a WC and trim. 

The idea on the larger tank isn't so much something 'new' as to fully realize the look with these larger plants and fish, and get a bit more of an open look. Towards that end, I'll also be looking at a complete 180g setup that's for sale locally: tank, stand, t5s, canister filters, driftwood, etc. The only problem is that the package includes 6 adult discus, and I've never been keen on discus, but I suppose I can trade them in for more angels.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

I'm digging this Rubin sword. It will be a keeper for the 210g. It has thinner leaves than most swords and nice maroon to bronze leaves (the large errant leaf is an E. martii).










On Monday, I'll be getting more stuff to grow out for the big tank:
Echinodorus quadricostatus < Never tried this one.
more Echinodorus parviflorious - these are GREAT. stay small and a richer green than the Tropica version.
Echinodorus uruguayensis < Finally. Hopefully I like it.
Aponogeton capuronii	< I'm excited about this one. Somewhat broad and crinkly leaves.
Echinodorus 'Tanzende Feuerfeder' < Impulse buy, may regret.
Echinodorus 'Kleiner Prinz' < The description on this one sounds really promising. _Echinodorus ‘Kleiner Prinz’ is a unique new sword plant for the aquarium. The name Kleiner Prinz means small prince in German and this is truly a small prince of a plant. Obtaining only about 12 inches at maturity it is truly one of the smallest of all the swords making for an excellent aquarium plant. It forms a compact rosette and holds many leaves. The leaves are medium width and are a deep reddish maroon color. E. ‘Kleiner Prinz’ flowers underwater and plantlets form on the inflorescence underwater. In the emersed form the aquatic plant is small and nondescript. The leaves are light green and rarely does the plant get more than 8 to 10 inches tall. It does flower reasonably well in the emersed form but it is not considered prolific. This aquarium plant was hybridized by Thomas Kaliebe of Germany._


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey this tank is looking great. I haven't seen it again since it has grown in. This is such a classy combination of colors and textures.



macclellan said:


>


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

I forgot to post this pic last night:










I really dig how the dorsal and pelvic fins are longer than the caudal fin on Keyhole cichlids (you can sorta see it on the fish on the right. They're like streamers or something.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

New stuff!

I _finally_ got an E. uruguayensis (actually TWO - yippee sweetaquatics.com for the freebie!) and it is everything I'd hoped:









The E. 'Tanzende Feuerfeder' is an absoluter monster. Emmersed grown, unfortunately, so time will tell what it really looks like:









The E. 'Kleiner Prinz' is smallish, but pretty blah emmersed. The submurged foliage looks fantastic in the pics I've seen, though:









E. parviflorious - I really can't get enough of these gals:









E. quadricostatus (probably a Helenium...) - these look fun. Very broad leaves for being smallish:









I also got some Blyxa aubertii once again (not pictured). Boy have I missed that plant.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

See that stalk on the E. 'Kleiner Prinz'? There are several plantlets forming already.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

More pichas!

E. 'AFlame' - got this as a wee thing, now it has a few leaves. It's been shaded by a big apon, it should grow faster now.









E. 'Kleiner Prinz' closeup









E. parviflorius closeup


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

Looks great, the last pic looks like some sort of cabbage almost... IDK looks yummy


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Oh my gosh!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

The Aponogeton capuronii bulb I bought has sprouted 2 plants - naaaiiiice!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Aponogeton capuronii is sweeeeet - why doesn't anyone seem to keep it? 
Crinkliest leaves on any plant I've seen by far.
Should be seriously impressive when mature:


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

woah that's crazy


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Eriocaulon aquaticum reproduces via long runners?!? Who knew?
I friggin love this plant, it is fairly easy to keep, and it is common throughout much of the US. Why don't more people keep it?


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

That aponogeton IS cool! Im starting to get into these guys more and I think that one just hit the top of my list.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

I'll sell it to you for $45! :hihi:


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Haha. I ended up buying a crinum natans for $10 and they sent 2 of them so when they strat to grow maybe we can do some more bartering. I also got a GIANT aponogeton boivinianus for $10.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

I can see my fish again - hooray!


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## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

wow!!!! those are HUGE!! lol nicely grown!

Amy


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Take me to your leader.










Thanks Amy!


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## mulm (Jun 3, 2010)

Status?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Everything is fine... accidentally left the lights on 24/7 with no CO2 for 3 weeks over the holidays - that was NOT cool, lol. Got the algae gone and things are bouncing back. 2 angels paired up and laid eggs on a sword leaf, but they abandoned the eggs after a few days... they'll get better with practice!


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## pianofish (Jan 31, 2010)

Your tank is awesome man, I'm hoping with time and many purchases from sweetsaquatics, mine shall look as good as yours. And if you don't mind I think I'll steal your flaccidifolia and long leafy plants in the corner look 
Your pal,
Pianofish


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

thanks, pf.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Anecdotal report: after accidentally leaving my lights on for 3 weeks straight, then doing a 5 day blackout, my E. martii and one of my dwarf rossette swords bloomed, and neither ever had before. Got lots of babies growing out now. As is the case with many flowering plants, changing light/dark periods trigger blooming. So too for swords, it seems.

In unrelated news, this tank's days are truly numbered now.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Oh, and E. 'kleiner prinz' is da bomb. Beautiful dwarf sword. Rusty red, long thin leaves. Maxes out at 10-12".


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

macclellan said:


> In unrelated news, this tank's days are truly numbered now.


Why????


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

120g w/2 Fluval FX5s, 2x 300w Hydor inline heaters, same light, inline reactor, MTS & sand. 
Already have everything but the tank ready to go!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Great picture! Best one on this thread.  Sweet new setup. I can't wait to see it.


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## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

this is exciting!!! great filtration!

Amy


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

neat new crypt i got, great coloration (on left... sorta greenish yellow with pink/orange edges). the much coveted C. w. 'green gecko' on right for comparison.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Ordered the 120g today. Deep Blue Professional brand. Standard dimensions. Black silicone. Should be here next Wednesday if all goes according to plan. I'm thinking of going with an open (i.e. no doors) lightly stained w/ polyurethane modern-style stand to showcase the machinery driving the beast. opinions?

I've got a neat twist on the "light bar" idea for hanging my light.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

What's the new Crypt?


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

macclellan said:


> neat new crypt i got, great coloration (on left... sorta greenish yellow with pink/orange edges). the much coveted C. w. 'green gecko' on right for comparison.


That is beautiful! What kind is it?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Not sure. I got it from this odd-ball LFS - Fins 'N Skins - that smells like reptile urine (I'm inferring, it smells disgusting and there are lots of reptiles there) yet gets some interesting/rare fish & plants in randomly. It's surely some C. wendtii type. Let's just hope it holds that color in brighter conditions like my tank.


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## Jeff5614 (Dec 29, 2005)

macclellan said:


> Not sure. I got it from this odd-ball LFS - Fins 'N Skins - that smells like reptile urine (I'm inferring, it smells disgusting and there are lots of reptiles there) yet gets some interesting/rare fish & plants in randomly. It's surely some C. wendtii type. Let's just hope it holds that color in brighter conditions like my tank.


I thought I was the only one who noticed the smell, lol, and it has been years since I've been in there.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

macclellan said:


> Anecdotal report: after accidentally leaving my lights on for 3 weeks straight, then doing a 5 day blackout, my E. martii and one of my dwarf rossette swords bloomed, and neither ever had before. Got lots of babies growing out now. As is the case with many flowering plants, changing light/dark periods trigger blooming. So too for swords, it seems.


I will experiment more with changing light/dark cycles to force flowering in swords. I've had the E. parviflorious for *forever* now and one is flowering for the first time (got about 5 babies though!). 

If only I could get the E. sp. 'Kleiner Prinz' to flower... I just ordered 2 more because this one won't propagate and I like them so much... but $9 a pop - ouch! I'll have to get a photo of this beauty up.


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## night9eyes (Jan 12, 2011)

Let me know how the E. 'kleiner prinz do for you. I'm about to set up a planted 90 with Co2 and I just read about this plant on your post. I'm going biotope and I know they are not necessarily indigenous to the Amazon, but they are in the sword family (okay, that's maybe a stretch!) Do they have a high light requirement like most red colored plants?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

It grows fine... normal sword. I don't think it needs high light. The red rule is for stem plants, not swords, afaik.


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## night9eyes (Jan 12, 2011)

Good to know! Looking to add some color, so I might try this guy out. I'll be watching for more pics, that you say are on the way, and can't wait to see your new set up. Subscribed! 
BTW-- planning to move the angels to your bigger tank?


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## Robert H (Apr 3, 2003)

> not necessarily indigenous to the Amazon, but they are in the sword family (okay, that's maybe a stretch!)


It is a hybrid, cultivar sword- which means it is a cross between two or more different sword species. It is definetly a sword specie none the less, but it is not a wild specie native to anywhere. Just like many fish, guppies, swordtails, Rams and so forth
----------

You've become quite the sword collector! Do you still have all those swords species you mentioned in the same tank? What type of growth have you been seeing?


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## Robert H (Apr 3, 2003)

macclellan said:


> I can see my fish again - hooray!


Is that a marimo ball on the floor? LOL


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

i just skimmed through this thread. awesome tank! do you have any problems with the keyholes?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I'll be curious to see if you can get the 'kleiner prinz' to flower too- I'm sure if the nurseries can develop and release non-viable cultivars it's to their financial advantage to do so... like with pond lilies.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Not the best photo... lots of microbubbles from a recent waterchange. The color on the 'kleiner prinz' isn't quite right... it's less brown and more maroon in RL.











Robert H said:


> You've become quite the sword collector! Do you still have all those swords species you mentioned in the same tank? What type of growth have you been seeing?


Not all of them. Many I was just experimenting to narrow it down to those I liked best; I didn't have much previous experience with swords and crypts. I'm going to go with a pretty focused, open layout with just a few species. The ones I currently have and will be keeping are:
*'AFlame'/Purple Knight'* - still very small and growing painfully slow, but I got it about the size of a 50 cent pieced and emmersed (for $15!!!) and I almost lost it in the conversion, but it's bounced back and about fist sized now. Totally unique with black/purple/red leaves. Anybody know what size these max out at?
*E. angustifolia 'vesuvius'* - very common now, crinkled corkscrew leaves.
*parviflorus* - not the tropica variant... this one looks better, IMHO, and grows better. Gets about 5" tall, probably 5" diameter. pure green leaves, some pink on new growth. Everyone should keep at least one, at least once. They are just awesome.
*'kleiner prinz'* - maxes out about 10-12" oblong leaves. stays pretty vertical, doesn't have a very big footprint. Red to maroon leaves. Even the old ones are pretty red, don't turn as green with time like most red swords. this is my favorite mid-sized sword.
*martii* - very tall, ruffled bright green leaves.
*urugayensis*. beautiful, long translucent bright green leaves with nice ribbing. I'm going to let this guy get huge. this is my favorite large sword species at the moment.

I'll also have Hygrophila corymbosa 'angustifolia' (one of the best background plants ever!) and 'kompact' (one of the best foreground plants ever!), a bit of Staurogyne repens up front, as well as a few apons in the back corners, a crinum, a red tiger lotus and some dwarf pinkish orange ones (N. stellata), some dwarf crypt spiralis from G.Ghori... and some of this rad dwarf needle leaf java fern (that nobody seems to keep for some strange reason) on the driftwood. 



Robert H said:


> Is that a marimo ball on the floor? LOL


It's a kong dog toy. 


nonconductive said:


> i just skimmed through this thread. awesome tank! do you have any problems with the keyholes?


Other than one being a total jerk to the other one? no.



lauraleellbp said:


> I'll be curious to see if you can get the 'kleiner prinz' to flower too- I'm sure if the nurseries can develop and release non-viable cultivars it's to their financial advantage to do so... like with pond lilies.


It came flowering (emersed) and I sold one of the babies (stupid me) and lost the others because the stem got broken somehow, maybe because it was transitioning to submersed. Hopefully I can get it to flower again submersed.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

OK, so I'm a bit indecisive. No I'm not. Well, maybe I am. A bit. 

Anyways, I cancelled the order on the $400 120g (they weren't putting it in until this coming Monday) because I found a 3 year old 90g AGA tank with black trim and an overflow in good shape for peanuts on craigslist. It has the 24" height I want for the swords and other tall plants, and allows me to use my existing stand. I'll cut out the overflow and plumb an FX5 to bulkheads using the drilled holes. So, I'll just sell the 75g for what I paid for the 90g and call it a day = free upgrade and a satisfied Joel for the next year or so.

Leak testing now.... about 40% full right now... wish me luck!


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## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

Good luck!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks.

She's holding water, captain!

Hmm, start a new thread for this 'new' tank, or press on?


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## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

press on!!! 

Amy

this is so exciting!!!! i love watching a tank fill for the first time.. its scary yet exciting.. hahhha


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## SearunSimpson (Jun 5, 2007)

Hey man, what is that green foreground plant in that pic? Looks to be a small sword of some sort...?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Yes, E. parviflorus.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

macclellan said:


> Yes, E. parviflorus.


does it stay that small? i'm in the market for a new midground, preferably a heavy root feeder.

congrats on the new tank.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

I just sold the overflow... that brings the costs of the 90g with bulkheads down to $60. Saweet!



nonconductive said:


> does it stay that small? i'm in the market for a new midground, preferably a heavy root feeder.


 yeah, these are probably a year old now. got 'em from sweetaquatics.com. I can't speak for all varieties, but these get about 5" tall, maybe a bit more in circumference.


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## Chaos_Being (May 18, 2010)

I love that Angelfish in your last picture. Your tank is beautiful, I am jealous! I'm sure everything will look great in the new tank as well.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Setting the stage:









It's on!









Disemboweled (every time I use that wrench I feel like I'm in Bioshock, lol)









Winning!


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## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

looking good!!! cleaning is the worst part of getting a used tank.. but after it looks amazing and you feel so proud!!!

Amy


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

amberbock eh?

looks good so far!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Oh wow, it looks like fun work! Are you going to re-silicone the tank? And how dare you drink amberbock and not a good Irish beer on St. Patty's Day!


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## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

lol hey at least there is green on the label.. better then a red beer... hahaha

Amy


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

The tank's silicone seems to be fine (>24 hour leak test). I was careful to keep the tank silicone (clear) intact while I removed the silicone holding the overflow in place (black). It was actually more of a battle than I expected... broke quite a few razor blades. 

Off to get plumbing parts tomorrow to hook up a canister filter to the bulkheads.

I drank Irish beer too... had some Smithwicks. Tried not to get too outta hand, razor blades, glass, water and what not.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

That's good new about the tank's corners in tack. I've always liked the look of tanks with the plumbing done that way. I really need to think about that in the long run.

That is good to hear, about the Irish beer, that is. I loved the comment about the razor blades and glass. LOL

Are you going to paint the background or scrap it clean?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

sewingalot said:


> That's good new about the tank's corners in tack. I've always liked the look of tanks with the plumbing done that way. I really need to think about that in the long run.


Yep. Unfortunately, only one of my two filters will be plumbed this way. The other will be the normal way.



sewingalot said:


> Are you going to paint the background or scrap it clean?


Both. Previous owner did not paint behind the overflow. Painting just that section would probably show. Scraped it off this morning. I will be painting it. I'm not a fan of non-backgrounded rimmed tanks. Rimless is another story. Painting and plumbing today if I'm not too distracted by March Madness.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Did you think about drilling a couple holes for the other filter? Just curious, really. Probably a wise idea to paint everything fresh. Are you sticking with black? Also, what type of paint are you using? I love the reconstruction/setup phases of journals for some reason.

My bets are on you getting distracted by March Madness.


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## jmhart (Mar 14, 2008)

Nice...a new adventure begins


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

sewingalot said:


> Did you think about drilling a couple holes for the other filter? Just curious, really.


Actually, I'm still thinking about it. I'm ordering a glass hole saw and overflow kit from glass-holes.com for the 40B I just bought (that will replace my 20L reef tank). The bottom of the 90g is tempered, so the other set of holes would have to be back drilled. If I had more experience (read: any) with drilling, I'd do it in a heart beat. If it goes easy on the 40B and if my cajones are feeling big enough I'll drill the 90g. It doesn't matter too much either way, but I will *definitely* drill the rimless tank(s) I'll have one day.



sewingalot said:


> Are you sticking with black? Also, what type of paint are you using?


Yes, although maroon and purple did cross my mind. just basic acrylic paint.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

jmhart said:


> Nice...a new adventure begins


Tell me about it... practically gave myself a hernia trying to get the PVC off of that smaller bulkhead... friction fit my a**.


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## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

macclellan said:


> Tell me about it... practically gave myself a hernia trying to get the PVC off of that smaller bulkhead... friction fit my a**.


Lmao your killing me here!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I'd tell you to go ahead and just drill the tank already, but that sounds.....weird. Anyway, if you haven't drilled before through glass, have you thought about getting some scraps at a local shop and practicing? That's what I did the first time I had to cut glass for a window pane. They'll usually give it to you really cheap if not free. Just a thought.

You know, maroon could actually be a neat color to try. You've got me thinking about that now. Black is always the safe, classic touch, though.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

sewingalot said:


> have you thought about getting some scraps at a local shop and practicing?


 Yeah, that's what I'm going to do. I've got this mean neighbor with a big bay window and she's on vacation next week... just kidding - I live in an apartment complex... no bay windows. I'll get some spare glass from a shop. The thing is each diamond tipped glass hole grinder is only good for 12 holes or so, so I can't practice too much!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

macclellan said:


> Yeah, that's what I'm going to do. I've got this mean neighbor with a big bay window and she's on vacation next week... just kidding - I live in an apartment complex... no bay windows. I'll get some spare glass from a shop. The thing is each diamond tipped glass hole grinder is only good for 12 holes or so, so I can't practice too much!


But could you just imagine this lady's face when she came back to find 12 perfectly cut holes in that window? :hihi: I have a feeling once you practice once or twice, you'll be like "That's it?"


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## Chaos_Being (May 18, 2010)

The wrench + Bioshock comment gave me a chuckle


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## pianofish (Jan 31, 2010)

*sniffle sniffle* Sad to see my inspiration tank torn down :icon_sad: but I bet this one will look even better, and I'll be inspired to buy more crypts and swords! Haha


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Got the tank painted:










and got the plumbing 95% done... missing a dang slip double 3/4" female piece to put the strainer on... stupid me. I went with the bits and pieces that came with the tank (hence the odd loc-line arrangement) + a few purchased bits... totalled like $6. I'm not going with unions and ball valves that most use (and which I'll definitely use next time on a larger tank) with such a simple set up. I did make the above-tank side watertight, and it's about 7" tall, so if I need to do anything underneath the bulkheads (i.e. if my inline heater dies), then I'll just drain the tank down to 6" with the fish in. Got some black spray paint to spray the in-tank pieces. Pic:










But ding-dang! Lowes and Home Depot are out of pool filter sand until later in the season. I'd have filled this beast tonight if I had a cap for the MTS. Oh well... soon enough. Gonna hit up the pool stores tomorrow.



Chaos_Being said:


> The wrench + Bioshock comment gave me a chuckle














pianofish said:


> *sniffle sniffle* Sad to see my inspiration tank torn down :icon_sad: but I bet this one will look even better, and I'll be inspired to buy more crypts and swords! Haha


 It's not being torn down, it's being made 4" taller.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

you look like you're about to beat the living daylights out of somebody with that wrench.

is that a chain link tat on your wrist?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

punked! That's a video game yo. Bioshock. Besides, my wrists are naked.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

d'oh!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Here's the plan... a semi-symmetrical V layout in the manicured dutch style featuring large specimen plants with a light touch of frail epiphytes on the driftwood, and increasingly smaller plants transitioning towards the front of the tank with an open sand area. It will take awhile to grow out a few specimens and to propogate the E. 'kleiner prinz' parviflorus, and 'vesuvius'.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

The plan is intriguing and you are doing my favorite layout, too. When you talk about setting up a tank, you don't kid around, do you? I admire that drive. BTW, that looked like a real person, not a computer animation from a game. And that ink is sweet. 

Oh, and I almost forgot! The plant you are wanting is sending up a shoot already! Shouldn't take long at all to get a piece strong enough to ship to you.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

final resting spot


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Are you worried about the moisture causing problems for your electronics or are you planning on moving them? I like that you are putting it at an angle. It's a nice look.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Maybe I should worry about moisture but I don't. I use glass tops, not much evaporation to speak of. I'll actually slide my 'home theater' to the right a foot or two.

My reef tank evaporates a lot more, I wouldn't put that by my dear PS3.

Off to the big orange box to get a plumbing part and to a pool supply store to pick up the sand I sourced. I might not finish today... got the monthly reef club meeting at 5pm.... we'll see.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

The other black gold...









high-iron clay... I used our cheese grater to help emulsify it - shhhh!









mystic white sand... easy to install!









I see a red door and I want to paint it black
No colors anymore I want them to turn black


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

It's easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission...


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## pianofish (Jan 31, 2010)

macclellan said:


> Here's the plan... a semi-symmetrical V layout in the manicured dutch style featuring large specimen plants with a light touch of frail epiphytes on the driftwood, and increasingly smaller plants transitioning towards the front of the tank with an open sand area. It will take awhile to grow out a few specimens and to propogate the E. 'kleiner prinz' parviflorus, and 'vesuvius'.


No more crypts??


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

pianofish said:


> No more crypts??


nope!


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

macclellan said:


> It's easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission...


thats my motto!

your new title made me think of a slayer song from the early 90's.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Tank is passing the leak test with the plumbing in place... about to drain and add substrate. The bulkheads were even bigger than my arse whuppin bio-wrench, so I was only able to hand-tighten + "tube tighten" (twisting the XP3 tubes to turn the bulkheads against the nut a bit extra), but not the 1/4 extra turn that's recommended (or at least I read from *jmhart* whom I trust, I have no manual).

Flow isn't all that out of the current loc-line configuration (which was for a reef tank... probably had a massive pump pushing 700+ gph)... I may need to rethink the "Y". Also, there was no way to fit the massive 300w inline heater to the bulkhead without a convoluted flow path. Before, I had it pointing up behind the stand, which is no longer an option. Luckily, I have a few spare 200w stealth heaters that I can hide behind the filter intake of the FX5.












nonconductive said:


> your new title made me think of a slayer song from the early 90's.


Yeah, "Live by the Sword." Slayer rocks hard. Seasons in the Abyss is easily in my top XX favorite albums. "Waaarrrr!"


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

sewingalot said:


> Oh, and I almost forgot! The plant you are wanting is sending up a shoot already! Shouldn't take long at all to get a piece strong enough to ship to you.


Great! Just let me know when how much $ etc. Want!

I'm not sure if V is my favorite... hmmm, yeah: V > mound > triangle.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

just looked back on the early parts of this thread and WOW has this angel really become something (if I may say so). She IS a beautiful and unique snowflake, even if she is the same decaying organic matter as everything else  :


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

it's really inspiring to see how you guys are so good at pulling a tank together. damn.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

thanks zenche!

Had a very slight leak on the smaller bulkhead. Got a pipewrench and gave it a bit of a turn. Final leaktest in progress. Should post pics of the complete setup later today!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

She is gorgeous. Every time I look at your angel, I want one more and more. Do you have plans to breed her? You should as it would be a shame not to. Liking the new title.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

mineralized soil and sand border in place. I dropped a few hundred malasian trumpet snails down, which you can sorta see, before I capped the dirt with sand. Forgot to put the aragonite underneath lol (which i was using in place of dolomite). I plan on doing some light dosing anyways, so no big deal.











Now it's time to plant! Pics and FTS later.



sewingalot said:


> She is gorgeous. Every time I look at your angel, I want one more and more. Do you have plans to breed her? You should as it would be a shame not to. Liking the new title.


She laid eggs once, but they ate them after about 2 days.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

whoever thought mud could be so exciting.... cant wait to see it filled up!


on and on south of heaven!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

It is some exciting mud, heheh. These swords should love it.

Tank is all planted and filled... *but* the outlet is too far from my powerstrips by an embarrasing 8" or so. Photo coming after the wifey gets back from shopping (her penance was to get me a grounded extension cord).


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Please pardon the tank... "under construction!" Especially the lack of hardscape, all the malasian trumpet snails that are like "wtf"? everywhere, all the nymphaea bulbs I found in my aquasoil that I'm letting hang around, checking for signs of life, a few errant specks of aquasoil, the A. longiplumulous that I can already tell that I have to pull, etc. Hopefully the plants I ordered from two sources will show up soon (order from sweet aquatics and some stauro 049 from SnS), and the E. parviflorus plantlets will grow out enough on the stem to root them on the left, and my fish won't die, etc ya know....

Anyways, floor is dry, no electrocutions... good day in my book.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

The angel is even more beautiful in this tank. It figures something so pretty eats her own eggs. (I didn't realize you could have MTS in soil based tanks.) That sand is blindly white. I wasn't expecting it. Not surprisingly, I like it. Of course, I have this thing for black and white shown together... 
(By the way, you should appreciate that I like your journal so much that I actually put up with a (near phobia) word in your signature. Like I am getting sick thinking about them. Eww.) The layout is already great, I can't wait until you get more plants in there. You are convincing me to look at swords again.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

I'm having trouble with my XP3 leaking a bit of water out of the power cord hole. It's not from the bulkheads or associated plumbing - it's after the quick release of the canister filter. I lubed the o-rings and same problem. Is the water pressure higher for canisters when using bulkheads (water going through bottom of 24" of water, not up and over the top of the tank? I might just need to use longer tubing... it's almost tight, maybe pulling up on the quick release housing.



sewingalot said:


> (I didn't realize you could have MTS in soil based tanks.)


I hope it's okay! I thought that either the soil would be too dense for them to pass through, or that they'd get down there and help prevent anaerobic conditions. I just hope that they don't mix the soil and sand together.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

looks awesome!

i had that same problem with one of my renas. my fix was repositioning it & longer hoses, for some reason the disconnect wasnt seating right. My hoses were tight like that too, sort of tugging on it.


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## fishykid1 (Apr 5, 2010)

MTS snails will probably eventually mix the 2 substrates...

BTW 

Once that A. sdofihaweaf something plant roots, you'll do nothing but make a cloud of dust and nasty water for a week. I literally took out 3 medium sized blyxa plants that had only been growing for 2 weeks and it made a mess of my 75G!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

nonconductive said:


> i had that same problem with one of my renas. my fix was repositioning it & longer hoses, for some reason the disconnect wasnt seating right. My hoses were tight like that too, sort of tugging on it.


 thanks, I'll work on loosening the disconnect wit longer tubes.



fishykid1 said:


> MTS snails will probably eventually mix the 2 substrates..


 Is this based on experience?



fishykid1 said:


> Once that A. sdofihaweaf something plant roots, you'll do nothing but make a cloud of dust and nasty water for a week. I literally took out 3 medium sized blyxa plants that had only been growing for 2 weeks and it made a mess of my 75G!


 Which plant? It's normal for pulling plants to cloud the water with any soil-based subsrate, but cutting roots, turning off filters, and a waterchange fixes this, at least in my experience. I'm not planning on frequent rescapes and mucking around... the layout will remain the same for some time.


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## fishykid1 (Apr 5, 2010)

macclellan said:


> thanks, I'll work on loosening the disconnect wit longer tubes.
> 
> Is this based on experience?
> 
> Which plant? It's normal for pulling plants to cloud the water with any soil-based subsrate, but cutting roots, turning off filters, and a waterchange fixes this, at least in my experience. I'm not planning on frequent rescapes and mucking around... the layout will remain the same for some time.


I can't remember, but you mentioned something about a rather large plant being moved, or maybe it was another poster.

The MTS snails are from experience, also Ramshorn snails seem to do it.
I had a small 10G set up for a while with PFS and some soil with MTS snails and after about 6 months it looked pretty nasty...


Where abouts in TN are you and have you ever been to 'The Aquarium'. I saw you mention Fins n skins..your right about the smell. My g-parents live in western Knoxville right off I-40 near the dealerships on Turnpike..


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

yes, i've been to the Aquarium. Great selection, advice given is mixed, prices tend to be high.


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## fishykid1 (Apr 5, 2010)

Agreed with the prices.. Gah!

I wish you still had the first tank that you posted on this thread. Absolutely beautiful tank! I may even use that for my inspiration on my 75G

Similar plants so far


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

sewingalot said:


> (By the way, you should appreciate that I like your journal so much that I actually put up with a (near phobia) word in your signature. Like I am getting sick thinking about them. Eww.)


 But they are so cute and cuddly!

http://media1.break.com/dnet/media/2007/11/29nov21-big-ass-maggot.jpg


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

that is filthy.....


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Hooray - no more leaks!

On the downside, big momma angel beat up on the two black angels pretty bad while in the 40B when I was setting this up... hope they make it.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

macclellan said:


> But they are so cute and cuddly!
> 
> http://media1.break.com/dnet/media/2007/11/29nov21-big-ass-maggot.jpg


WHY?????? Did I look at that?!?! Yeah, I am thinking cremation after that one.









Sorry to hear about the angels? Perhaps with the extra room, they'll heal up quick. Is it normal for angels to get that mean? Must be the cichlid coming out in them. Good for the no leaks, though! Yay!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

There are two pairs of angels, and eah had their half of the tank and palnts help establsih territories and reduce line of sight. This was thrown off while in a 40B on the floor. Hopefully they bounce back... they are hunkering down in the back right corner.

I believe this behavior is typical for mature, paired angels. But man, we are talking destroyed fins and missing scales


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Haha sarah, I even went back and removed the img tags... that's all on you for clicking the link!


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## night9eyes (Jan 12, 2011)

macclellan said:


> There are two pairs of angels, and eah had their half of the tank and palnts help establsih territories and reduce line of sight. This was thrown off while in a 40B on the floor. Hopefully they bounce back... they are hunkering down in the back right corner.
> 
> I believe this behavior is typical for mature, paired angels. But man, we are talking destroyed fins and missing scales



I would go ahead and set them up in a hospital tank with some salt and a little elevated temps (about 82 degrees) if you have a spare tank, just to ward off infection for the two that were beat up. It isn't uncommon for angels to act this way, especially if they are pairing off. Clamped fins and/or hiding could be a sign of infection. IMO it's probably best to treat the two that have some injury, if you're talking destroyed fins and such.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

you do know that if they pick up a bacteria infection raising the temps will make it worse.


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## night9eyes (Jan 12, 2011)

I'm just going by what's worked for me. I had a young dime sized angel that was undergoing some stress, after shipment, and the breeder recommended this to me-- as she had to others with stressed or injured fish. My first thought was just to a hospital tank, so they can recover. A weak or sick angelfish can continue to be picked on by the more dominant one or ones (I had this once happened to a black lace, and before I realized what was going on-- the pair had killed him.) To me, it sounds like the more dominant pair is staking out their territory again, I would just keep my eye on the other pair to make sure they aren't bullied too badly, or injured (that's all I'm saying)


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

A few updates:
The two wounded angels appear to be recovering in a hospital tank. Yar!
Stauro. repens arrived and has been planted. Yar!
CO2 system up and running. Yar!
My sweetaquatics order won't ship 'till next week. Booh!

The possibility of the mineralized top soil getting all turned up by the malasian trumpet snails freaks me out. "Operation X-MTS Save MTS" is underway (I won't call it a war, I'd have to talk to congress first) One man. One pair of aquarium tweezers. Unwaivering Vigilance. Anything that moves without a vertebrae WILL. BE. DESTROYED. <jk>Besides, there is nothing like the feeling of superiority one feels by snuffing out the souls of inferior beings. </jk>


^ Thanks for the comments guys. I thought they'd recover fine in the tank if Tyler Perry's Big Mama Angel would leave them alone, but she was unrelenting wit dat switch! I had to pull them. They are fine and active, but a bit insecure emotionally as they lick their wounds. The bullying epidemic has spread beyond our elementary schools and invaded our homes!


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## pianofish (Jan 31, 2010)

macclellan said:


> A few updates:
> The two wounded angels appear to be recovering in a hospital tank. Yar!
> Stauro. repens arrived and has been planted. Yar!
> CO2 system up and running. Yar!
> ...


Well, sweetaquatics must be off their game, I put in an order of crypts and stuff like 2.5 weeks ago and its still processing... 

And hey don't worry abit about MTSnails and your MTS. I actually can't get enough of the snails with my MTS, because if there are any organics left in your substrate, you need the MTS to release the sulfur byproduct bubbles so your roots will remain groovy. I've yet to loose any miracle mud due to their digging.

Sorry to here about the rotten luck with the angels, but good luck with the planting, can't wait to see the new tank all setup and filled in!
Your pal,
Pianofish


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Working on my co2 reactor now... standard water filter housing reactor, but I'm going to put a bit of CPR Bio-Bale media inside to break up the bubbles and act as biomedia. This stuff is fantastic from what I can tell so far... my FX5 is now filled with it. I'll put it nice and loose in the reactor so it doesn't catch a lot of detritus, but it's monofilament so it isn't going anywhere.










_warning: personal info irrelevant to my tank, but this is my journal and I can say what I want... _Man, what a week of lows and highs! I lost a friend, one of the greatest people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing (everyone says that, but here it's actually true). He was only 27. Really bright guy and future... recent graduate and DVM. It was by his own hands. I'll never be able to understand or accept it. On a positive note, I just found out that I've been awarded a fellowship for next year! I didn't have funding for my last year of grad school, so this is *HUGE* weight off my shoulders, and a feather in my cap to boot. Yippee!

Okay, back to boxes of water and stuff...



pianofish said:


> Well, sweetaquatics must be off their game, I put in an order of crypts and stuff like 2.5 weeks ago and its still processing...
> 
> but good luck with the planting, can't wait to see the new tank all setup and filled in!
> Your pal,
> Pianofish


Thanks, pf. Yeah, I remember when SA had prompt shipping, and FREE over $45. Alas.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

sorry about your friend but congrats on your fellowship.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

macclellan said:


> _warning: personal info irrelevant to my tank, but this is my journal and I can say what I want... _Man, what a week of lows and highs! I lost a friend, one of the greatest people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing (everyone says that, but here it's actually true). He was only 27. Really bright guy and future... recent graduate and DVM. It was by his own hands. I'll never be able to understand or accept it.


Joel,

That is terrible news and my thoughts and prayers are with you and his family. 



> On a positive note, I just found out that I've been awarded a fellowship for next year! I didn't have funding for my last year of grad school, so this is *HUGE* weight off my shoulders, and a feather in my cap to boot. Yippee!


That is some way to end your week my friend. Serious high and low. I wish you the best of luck in your final year.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

macclellan said:


> Working on my co2 reactor now... standard water filter housing reactor, but I'm going to put a bit of CPR Bio-Bale media inside to break up the bubbles and act as biomedia. This stuff is fantastic from what I can tell so far... my FX5 is now filled with it. I'll put it nice and loose in the reactor so it doesn't catch a lot of detritus, but it's monofilament so it isn't going anywhere.


FWIW, I just installed one of these two and I didn't need anything in there to break it up. Dissolves almost 100% just by sitting in the inlet pocket. I am really impressed at how well this works. I bought clear housing just so I could use it as a bubble counter too and actually make sure its working.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks guys.



Gatekeeper said:


> FWIW, I just installed one of these two and I didn't need anything in there to break it up. Dissolves almost 100% just by sitting in the inlet pocket. I am really impressed at how well this works. *I bought clear housing* just so I could use it as a bubble counter too and actually make sure its working.


 Yeah, I'm kinda jealous of the clear housing.  Still, this was like $21 total (based around a $17 GE water filter), so I'm not exactly complaining. On my way to the PO, btw. 

I'll plumb the reactor and the heater later today. Hmm, maybe I'll leave the bio-bale out, but it would be extra biofiltration and shouldn't affect flow. I can't wait for a bubble-free tank.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Just celebrated with a sashimi/sushi combo. Delicious! Except for this octopus-fetus thing that tried to abduct me... "Take me to your leader!" I bit off two of his legs when it attacked me, which sent it running.


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## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

Joel,

Sorry to hear of your loss. I hope things only get better for you and their family. Best wishes


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

thanks problemman.

Got the plumbing done (minus a few hose clamps for peace of mind). 

Mental note: plumbing and drinking don't mix particularly well. 

some photos...
xp3 filter, eto heater, co2 reactor:









Bulkhead pr0n:









Zap!:









My aquatic shop vac:









15# co2 tank, gla reg, fabco nv:









external, inline bubble counter to see co2 rate/functionality with stand closed:









other life essentials:









Had to turn the bubble counter WAY back immediately after installing the reactor from my previous set up. Almost scary actually.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

macclellan said:


> Mental note: plumbing and drinking don't mix particularly well.


No they don't. And you can add moving fish, forum posting, email and anything involving blades to that list.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

hydrophyte said:


> No they don't. And you can add moving fish, forum posting, email and anything involving blades to that list.


hehe, speaking from experience there, sir?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

The 'tool shed':


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Meh, I've tried several times unsuccessfully to get some WYSIWYG Manzanita (I feel like the loser of a game of "hot hands"... too slow!). Sooooo... I'm reusing some cedar driftwood I gathered along the Atlantic coast in NC last year. It's attached to some slate this time around, and is still becoming waterlogged... I'll let it sit in it's present state for a few days until my sweetaquatics order comes in and then I'll place it. Note the epiphytes are already placed: Java fern 'trident' and this rare "dwarf needle leaf" java fern that no one seems to keep for some strange reason. I'll 'sink the wood' and plant the plants at the same time and follow that with a large water change. 









Bad fish! Time out for you! No soup for you!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

macclellan said:


> Just celebrated with a sashimi/sushi combo. Delicious! Except for this octopus-fetus thing that tried to abduct me... "Take me to your leader!" I bit off two of his legs when it attacked me, which sent it running.


First the [email protected] quote, then the photo and now the octofetus. Mac, you're killing me here. But at least they are pictures.....I guess? LOL. Funny you mentioned the dwarf needle leaf java fern. I just sent a bunch to non-c not that long back. It's my favorite java.

I like the right side, but I am still unsure of the left driftwood until I see more plants. I have a feeling it'll look good, though.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

> My aquatic shop vac


 LMAO!!!! Awesome!

Nice little tank you got there. Really clean looking with that purdy white sand.

Yes yes... plumbing and drinking. Been there. Its no no. You can also add painting to that list as well.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

sewingalot said:


> I like the right side, but I am still unsure of the left driftwood until I see more plants. I have a feeling it'll look good, though.


 I agree completely about the left and have reconsidered the layout. The plan in my head was for a longer tank (the 6' tank I had), and won't work well here. Major changes coming if Sweet Aquatics ever sends my plants....



Gatekeeper said:


> LMAO!!!! Awesome!
> 
> Nice little tank you got there. Really clean looking with that purdy white sand.


 Thanks and glad you liked the shop vac comment. Thing is a beast!


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Hey Joel, Im really looking forward to seeing this come together. Is your shop vac easy to clean? I bought an OC pleated filted and its a PITA to clean(especially when drinking)


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

I think the reason I like this tank so much is that its not packed full of trendy stems.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

nonconductive said:


> I think the reason I like this tank so much is that its not packed full of trendy stems.


Amen!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

chad320 said:


> Is your shop vac easy to clean? I bought an OC pleated filted and its a PITA to clean(especially when drinking)


 I strongly discourage drinking from your filter, lol!

The FX5 has a unique internal design. There are large pore mechanical sponges on the outside of three bins that the water runs up through. The way I have it set up is with just CPR Bio-Bale loosely packed into the inside bins for finer mech and bio. The idea is to keep flow fairly high for long periods of time... no fine mech in the flow path. 

Maintenance is pretty easy. It has a purge valve so you can (1) backflush the filter during some or all water changes and (2) carry an empty canister to the sink and not >5g of water. I hope to be able to postpone maintenance for months with backflushing (which also makes water changes easier...).

FWIW, my XP3 is designed for lower flow. It holds finer mechanical filtration and is heavily packed with Seachem Matrix. It also drives my reactor.



nonconductive said:


> I think the reason I like this tank so much is that its not packed full of trendy stems.


Thanks! Yeah, I'm past the collectoritis "rare for rareness' sake" phase... 
I do have Staurogyne repens Tropica 049G though. Any plant with numbers in the name is uber-trendy though. I'm going to start placing random numbers and stuff in the names of plants I sell for ships and giggles and because I can, e.g. *Echinodorus uruguayensis 037X var 'punta verde'*. It'll instantly be worth brazillions!

Seriously though, there are a fair number of select stems in here. I'll do a plant list in a minute.



Gatekeeper said:


> Amen!


Can I get a Hallelujah from my brothers and sisters?!?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Plant list. Shouldn't change for some time. I will add a few things here and there as I find them (Poly 'Sao Paulo', Nymphoides sp. Taiwan var sewingalotofich, Hellanthium tenellum, etc.)

Aponogeton capuronii
Aponogeton ulvaceus
Blyxa japonica
Crinum calamistratum
Cryptocoryne wendtii 'green gecko'
Echinodorus 'AFlame'
Echinodorus 'kleiner prinz'
Echinodorus parviflorus
Echinodorus uruguayensis
Hellanthium angustifolius 'vesuvius'
Hygrophila corymbosa 'angustifolia'
Hygrophila corymbosa 'kompact'
Microsorum pteropus 062E 'leet dwarf'
Nymphaea stellata
Nymphaea zenkeri 'Red Tiger Lotus'
Staurogyne repens
Taxiphyllum sp. (Flame moss)
Vallisernia nana


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

macclellan said:


> Microsorum pteropus 062E 'leet dwarf'


wooah!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

macclellan said:


> Can I get a Hallelujah from my brothers and sisters?!?


LOL. I'll third that statement. Does that count? :hihi:



> sewingalotofich


Okay, hands down. This is the best name I've ever been called. I actually was wiping tears out of my eyes. roud:

The list you have is a great selection. I am glad you are past the hoarding species stage of the hobby and can now focus on simple beauty. I'm starting to move in that direction as of late. I pitched a lot of 'trendy' plants recently.


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## Chaos_Being (May 18, 2010)

Looking good. Clean and simple, I like it.

Having fun with Killzone 3? I was watching my brother in law play that recently using the Move controller/gun combo. Was pretty wild.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

So, is adding some bolbitus at the base of the wood on the right a terrible idea?



sewingalot said:


> LOL. I'll third that statement. Does that count?


 Yes, it does.



sewingalot said:


> Okay, hands down. This is the best name I've ever been called. I actually was wiping tears out of my eyes. roud:


 Making women cry is a skill of mine, just ask my wife, LOL!



Chaos_Being said:


> Looking good. Clean and simple, I like it.
> 
> Having fun with Killzone 3? I was watching my brother in law play that recently using the Move controller/gun combo. Was pretty wild.


 Thanks! Yep, KZ3 is fun stuff. MAC_VOL on PSN. I play engineer class with the default LMG... I camp with my maxed out rocket launcher turret and LMG at the ready by choke points with proximity mines everywhere cuz I'm evil like that.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

macclellan said:


> So, is adding some bolbitus at the base of the wood on the right a terrible idea?


I don't have bolbitus, but I do have a boat load of narrow leaf that was given to me that I can certainly send out to you. Might be a perfect amount for that left side.


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

Go for the bolbitis!!


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## Chaos_Being (May 18, 2010)

Ah, you evil camper you  chaosbeing79 on PSN for me, although I haven't been on my ps3 too much lately. I think my wife has used to stream videos more often than I have to play games recently.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Gatekeeper said:


> I don't have bolbitus, but I do have a boat load of narrow leaf that was given to me that I can certainly send out to you. Might be a perfect amount for that left side.


Thanks glenn but i'm switchin this to a triangle layout and there's nothing on ghe left anymore to attach JF to.

They say that imitation is a form of flattery... I just got 40# of caribsea peace river, but it looks like 20 was enough. It takes the edge off the whiteand looks more natural. It'll be awhile until it's mixed more, I just spread it on top. Pics later.


roybot73 said:


> Go for the bolbitis!!


Just got some from houseofcards, should be here monday. Ive never had it before... the. Darker green and length should look nice in this tank. Flame moss just got here and blyxa should be here tomorrow.


Chaos_Being said:


> Ah, you evil camper you  chaosbeing79 on PSN for me, although I haven't been on my ps3 too much lately. I think my wife has used to stream videos more often than I have to play games recently.


Cool,i'll add you.


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

Mac,
wow just caught up...damn alot has changed!
Love that plant list...the crinum is going to be sick!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

thanks colt!

My E. uruguayensis is sending up a flower stalk. 

Here's a photo to show the substrate spiffing up. I'll finish moving the plants (the floating mass and those on the left) to fit the triangle layout tomorrow after the post man comes with the goods. 
Ladies, as _hard_ as it may be, try not to stare at my wood. I'll fix it tomorrow.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

macclellan said:


> Thanks glenn but i'm switchin this to a triangle layout and there's nothing on ghe left anymore to attach JF to.
> 
> They say that imitation is a form of flattery... I just got 40# of caribsea peace river, but it looks like 20 was enough. It takes the edge off the whiteand looks more natural. It'll be awhile until it's mixed more, I just spread it on top. Pics later.
> 
> ...


Who says you need to attach it! I use clay pot fragments! LOL.

well at least I got you turned on to the caribsea peace river. LOL! I am armed and ready for you if you need it with the narrow leaf var wasserpesterplants.

Bolbitus is a spectacular yet elegant plant. I noticed it grows the best when you can care less that it does! He he. 

I have to day though, the stuff that "houseofcards" (not sure your real name, sorry), grows is spectacular! I envy you and good luck with that setup my friend.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

*houseofcards*'s name is Jeff. I look forward to trying bolbitis. I've always admired it but never kept it. 

I'll keep the narrow leaf in mind, Glenn, thx.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Well CRAP. My CO2 didn't shut off last night and there wasn't much surface agitation... ALL four angels and the pair of keyholes are dead... :'(
Tetras and ottos are stressed but appear ok.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

sorry about your cichlids. that stinks!




macclellan said:


> Well CRAP. My CO2 didn't shut off last night and there wasn't much surface agitation... ALL four angels and the pair of keyholes are dead... :'(
> Tetras and ottos are stressed but appear ok.


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## takadi (Dec 13, 2010)

Sorry about your loss. Did the timer break?


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Oh no! Joel, that totally blows!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)




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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)




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## Solid (Jul 19, 2009)

lol


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Ever just feel like a


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

lol


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Who, me?


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Haha, nice! Thanks for the Apono. It will look nice!!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Hold the press! 19 days and one paypal request for refund later, my order from Sweet Aquatics has shipped. I could have walked to Hamilton, Ohio for pick up aster...

Yer welcome Chad!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Boys..... As much as it kills me to say this: I like the triangle layout better (and I didn't stare _that_ long). If you don't Qt those plants I sent you, you may very well end up with dead angels. Speaking of which, I am glad it was only a joke!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

thanks! i hosted poker last night, which somehow resulting in an empty bottle of tequila and being up till 5am. I crawled from my couch to the floor to snap this photo for you, my loyal viewers.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I'm surprised the picture looks so good. :hihi: Actually, that is a pretty awesome shot. Things look more 3d that way. This is fast becoming a favorite tank of mine to look at. It's nice to see some of the plants in there. The hobby doesn't use them enough.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Nice shot Mac! How do you get a shot like that without the lights bleeding it out?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks folks!










I've long suspected some plant nibblers amongst my current stockig, but could never catch anyone in the act where the 75g was set up. Now I can... and the red-eyed tetras were caught in the act, eating my brand new stauro. repens and blyxa. So... these guys have to go. Now I have to decide what fish to get...


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

On a more positive note, the larger keyhole has been much less of an Ahole to the smaller one in this tank, and they really like to sift the sandy substrate (which they couldn't do in the 75g with aquasoil). He started doing the mating shimmy dance for her(?) in a little pit he made.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I can tell you that emperor tetras will also eat your plants, just an FYI there in case you think of them. What about some rasboras? I am in love with that species of fish now. Sounds like you are going to have some babies in the future, no? Our keyholes were violent toward the others cichlids when they bred. I'm curious how the male will behave for you giving his spunky personality.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks for the tip on emperors. I've never kept rasboras and would like to, but will keep the mostly SA theme for this tank. I was actually thinking like 40 rummynose tetras...

They might breed (still not sure there's a M & F), we'll see. So far, the Angels still chase them away when they want. I have a few empty tanks I can use in a pinch if need be.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)




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## takadi (Dec 13, 2010)

You know it's bad when you'd get more excited seeing a random stranger in brown short shorts approaching your door than santa claus himself.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

My post man don't wear no brown shorts! He's a she (well, a him-she), and they're navy blue!

Just got done plantin' - Holy Little Prince!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Fine. Happy? 

Still gotta afix the bolbitis and move the lotus. Swords came emmersed and need to convert.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I just realized I never subscribed to this. How rude. Fixed that problem.

So, yes. I'm thrilled. Tank looks good. How can you tell the difference between emersed and submersed swords? Curious, really. They look very similar to me. By the way, I think you take better pictures after a night of drinking. :hihi:


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## Chaos_Being (May 18, 2010)

Looking good.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

looks great. cant wait to see it after the swords change.


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## pianofish (Jan 31, 2010)

Yay Swords! The tank looks spectacular matey. Got your plants from Sweets?


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Emersed? Well that's a draw back. Wish I had some savvy advice on how to give em a kick start but alas you are on your own. 

BTW, you had offered some advice not long ago in my journal about sea salt to prevent crypt melt. To be honest, I dosed epsom salts instead and so far, crypt melt stopped.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Bolbitis is saweet. i can't believe I've never kept it before. The leaves have a weird color and quality to them... almost like pellia in consistency and translucence, but a more evergreen hue. my wife said they looked fake.


sewingalot said:


> How can you tell the difference between emersed and submersed swords? Curious, really. They look very similar to me.


They are quite different, at least those I know. Emersed leaves are more melon-like (greater bulb-like shape on a stalk), rougher to the touch, and more pronounced veins. Submerged leaves are smooth and more gradual in shape. If you can see the E. 'kleiner prinz' on the far right (maroon/red narrowish leaves in midground), all of the other midsized swords are the emersed form. Also, you can see the mature E. parviflorus, and the smaller, lighter green leaves towards the left. I'll post some detailed shots some time soon....



sewingalot said:


> By the way, I think you take better pictures after a night of drinking. :hihi:


 ha. It's the difference between taking pictures with my real camera versus my phone. 



Chaos_Being said:


> Looking good.





nonconductive said:


> looks great. cant wait to see it after the swords change.





pianofish said:


> Yay Swords! The tank looks spectacular matey. Got your plants from Sweets?


 Thanks guys. Yeah, sweetaquatics. They took their sweet old time and the plants were aquatic, but emersed, so the name is somewhat accurate. 


Gatekeeper said:


> Emersed? Well that's a draw back. Wish I had some savvy advice on how to give em a kick start but alas you are on your own.


 I expected it. It's easy to do... basically all the swords I've gotten have started emersed, it just takes awhile. Just cut off the furthest out leaves and trim the roots down a bit, plant it, and cut off emersed leaves gradually as they are replaced with new submersed leaves.


Gatekeeper said:


> BTW, you had offered some advice not long ago in my journal about sea salt to prevent crypt melt. To be honest, I dosed epsom salts instead and so far, crypt melt stopped.


I wonder if the melt of had finally petered out on its own and that's a coincidence, or if the magnesium and or sulfate helped (both are present in sea salt), but the Tunze guy seemd to think it was the sodium, IDK.


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## pianofish (Jan 31, 2010)

macclellan said:


> Thanks guys. Yeah, sweetaquatics. They took their sweet old time and the plants were aquatic, but emersed, so the name is somewhat accurate.


I know right, I placed my order march 6th and it got ere today April 5th. But the quality of their plants is top notch! As well as their prices. Lol nice pun.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

There my substrate sits all broken-hearted,
I tried to sift, but it only farted.

I thought I mineralized the crap (literally) out of this stuff. I'm surprised she's so gassy... just couldn't do it captain, she needed more powa!


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

lol nice!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Why do I feel like I am back at home with my brothers with you two lately? LOL I'm now seeing the difference between emersed and submersed sword leaves now. I had a leaf sprout up almost over night! Before you go out of town, I think you should take a picture with your camera and not your cell phone. Just a random request from the person who normally doesn't care about pictures.....


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

No FTS, but here are some phish and plahnts.
green gecko / e. parv









bolbitis









keyhole










congo tetra


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Look at that lil gecko. Where did you get that Joel?

Congo's... I was just looking at those. So cool looking.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

love the keyhole


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

nonconductive said:


> love the keyhole


Some of the chillest cichlids I have ever kept (not sure if Joel has same experience).


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

Gatekeeper said:


> Some of the chillest cichlids I have ever kept (not sure if Joel has same experience).


I always wanted to get a pair but was unsure if they would destroy my plants or dig around. 

I guess you and joel answered that for me though.:hihi:


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Gatekeeper said:


> Look at that lil gecko. Where did you get that Joel?


I think you asked me this before, and I think I got my first as a small freebie from Coltnorr (who got them from you) but I am not sure. I now have 4.



nonconductive said:


> I always wanted to get a pair [of keyholes] but was unsure if they would destroy my plants or dig around.


They do sift substrate a bit, which I like... far less than geophags or microgeophags obviously. 
Mine are fine to each other now, but there was a time when I thought about separating them... one was pretty beat up and only hid in the top corner, hiding on the surface in an Apon. It's probably best to keep 1 or >2.


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

Nice pics, man. Wait til that bolbitis starts to thicken up! 
How's the MuchoFlatulosOnara working out for you? Any noticeable difference from non-organic Shimp Fart Enhancers?


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Loving the keyhole. The congo is mucho pretty, though. Do they mess with your plants at all? That e. parviflorus is really beautiful! I hope it grows for me.  Great pictures, Mac. What kind of camera is that (is it the same one you used taking a picture of that giant aponog?) The pictures are sharp!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

roybot73 said:


> Nice pics, man. Wait til that bolbitis starts to thicken up!
> How's the MuchoFlatulosOnara working out for you? Any noticeable difference from non-organic Shimp Fart Enhancers?


yes, the shrimp feel less guilt about the environmental impact of their 'enchancement'.

I can't wait for the bolbitis to grow out either. It pearled a lot yesterday, so that's a good sign.


sewingalot said:


> Loving the keyhole. The congo is mucho pretty, though. Do they mess with your plants at all? That e. parviflorus is really beautiful! I hope it grows for me.  Great pictures, Mac. What kind of camera is that (is it the same one you used taking a picture of that giant aponog?) The pictures are sharp!


if you;re talking about that phto i took in the mirrior, then yea, nikon d70. Different lens though, a sharp oldie-but-goodie nikkor 70-200mm. Sharpness is really about the light tho, supplied by a nikon speedlight on top of the tank. I really want a 2nd one for the other half of the tank... darned fish don't stay on the side I want, lol

I'd been lazy laely using my droid 2 and wife's canon point and shoot, but i'll start taking 'real' pics more often now that i've got a new tank.

I haven't noticed them eating plants, but who knows


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## oscarsx (Mar 15, 2011)

Beautiful tank & fish man, that congo tetra looks amazing.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

I need to work on my phone typing skills, lol


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

At least I can read your texts. It's when the words are completely random that my brain starts to hurt.

That's the very one I was thinking about. If I ever get rich and good at taking pictures, that will be the first thing I buy. And then you all will really see some pictures.  Yes, you need to start taking good pictures like that again!

So congos could be a fish to get in my fantasy tank!  Always adding and deducting fish from my imaginary tank.


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

What model Speedlight are you using?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Sb-600


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

Cool. I got one for Xmas but haven't had much time to mess around with it...
Any tips or tricks you care to share would be appreciated


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Just it to slave and your camera to commander... it works off of light from you built in flash, so have camera at an angle to the glass or otherwise keep the rebound out of the frame. I use the built in diffuser and angle the flash a bit towards the back, not straight down to keep light off the front glass. That's it really...


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

just got back from a trip...

new swords are sending out new submerged leaves... cool beans.
angel issue is still unresolved... my wife had to take the dominant pair out of the tank to time out again.
the gravel/sand cap is mixing together nicely.

pics soonish.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Sucks about the angels. At least your wife was there to get them out of the tank. Can't wait to see the pictures.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Sometimes the best defense is... a well timed diversion. 

I just got two more angels. I picked the most dominant (and beautiful) angel of a group of about 50 sub-adults. "He" was dead center and enforced his space. "His" name is Lucifer ( a fallen angel who is the "bearer of light")... hopefully he brings some light to the darkness of the two black angels. The other one is Baraqijal (a fallen angel who teaches astrology). His face just screamed "astrologist" to me.










In the tank and colored up a bit:









Pics of the E. uruguayensis flowers. Note that this is a 24" tank, and the top of that light is about 5" off of the top of the tank:




























Other news and notes: The apon bulb that arrived leaf-less is throwing out some nice leaves. Pics once it fills in some.
I must have a leak in my co2 system.. My 15# tank exhausted in no time (like 3 months) I'll strip and reseal stuff with pipe joint compound tomorrow... I'm gonna try and get a 20# 'fat-boy' and get rid of my 10# aluminum and 15# tall and skinny steel one.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

nice new angels. silver ones are my favs.


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

Awesome Joel how bout a FTS?


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Love the patterns.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks guys. No FTS, but here's the first video I've ever posted. It's titled "one big happy family".

http://static.photobucket.com/playe...ll259/jmacclellan/2011-04-12_21-19-11_188.mp4


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Awesome! Lil tug o war never hurt anyone.

My favorite part though is that the keyholes are just chillin....


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

What an awesome video! Nice title. Looks just like my family. :hihi: That flower is beautiful. Were you expecting it to flower so soon? I'm with Glenn, those keyholes were cracking me up.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks. Yeah keyholes are pretty chill, except when the angels chase them.

I think moving the sword to this new tank triggered the flowering. That and/or raising the temp to 80, it had been at 74 in the 75g. I'm moving the temp back down to see if that helps with agression._


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Cooler weather always chills me out.  I hope to see a sword flower eventually. Usually, they just go straight to making babies, but the last time I had a sword, I intentionally left it in water for that reason.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

awesome vid... love how the keyholes pay no attention.


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

LOL enjoyed the posted video roud: (looked very familiar)
Is one of the new kids tail clamping?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

I don't think its clamping. It just aims down a bit.

How about swordtails to replace the tetras? Are they plant nippers? Id like to get some livebearers up in here


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

up in here up in here


i fear live bearers. white poop.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I'll gladly send you 8 billion guppy mutts and you'll change your mind in a few months time. I find them living in my filters even. I've honestly tried twice to get rid of them and a few managed to hide out enough to start the population again. Think really hard about this one, Mac.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

My keyholes ate neon tetras, angels would too. They'd eat all or at least nearly all fry. I wanted live bearers as a source of live food. I'd raise fry in a separate tank if I wanted more. Guppy adults would probably be eaten, which is why I'm thinking swordtails.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

White poop?


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Is that tank covered? Swords are known for jumping out of tanks. I lost all my swords that way. That's how I ended up with just platies for a while. I assume he is talking about how most live bearers seem to come with internal parasites.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Yeah, tank is covered. I'll definitely quarantine, thanks. Hadn't thought of platties...hmmm.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

yes live bearers = typhoid mary. bad news for fish like angels & discus. 

just make sure you qt!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I ♥ platties! They are such hams. I miss them already. I would go as far to say they breed just as frequent if not more than guppies.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

So get this: I got next to no sleep over the weekend + some jet lag... I took an involuntary nap while grading exams and woke up three hours later very groggy... ran an errand and took the dog for a walk... locked my keys in my car and out of my apartment... called my _old_ apartment complex on accident who insisted that they didn't have an apartment with my number... called my _current_ apartment complex... waited 15 minutes... paid $15 to a lackey and am now back inside... um, yeah... I need to catch up on some sleep...


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Hahaha, I think someone needs a nap. Too funny that you called the wrong place first.


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

Joel if I'm not mistaken...where those the lousy NY Knickerbockers in the background?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Coltonorr said:


> Joel if I'm not mistaken...where those the lousy NY Knickerbockers in the background?


 Lousy indeed, but at least playoff-bound for the first time in awhile. I was watching the Knicks-Bulls game last night.


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

Yeah guess your right...
Recognized Mr. Walt Clyde Frazier.
Go Rangers!!!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

The MTS bubbling is going down. These root tabs must have helped:









Tetras sell tomorrow.

Goldarned CO2 tank was due for a hydrostatic test... don't get it back till Friday. Keeping the photoperiod real low 'till then.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

I got some Ammania sp. 'bonsai raging donkey' AO32∞ in the mail today. Yippee!
The guy who was supposed to pick up the tetras no-showed. Boohoo!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Haha, nice new rare plant you got there. Are you going to cultivate it and sell it at $15 a stem?


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

macclellan said:


> The MTS bubbling is going down. These root tabs must have helped:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
hahaha nice!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

*let me introduce you to my little friend:*










*Pushing 4 feet long now, me thinks(!).*



sewingalot said:


> Haha, nice new rare plant you got there. Are you going to cultivate it and sell it at $15 a stem?


 The normal raging donkey goes for $15/stem. This is the new rare morph. $45 a pop. "limited quantities available."


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

that flower stalk is intense.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Nice, Scarface. Loved the movie.......oh, and the flower is awesome. What does your wife think about you buying her flowers?  $45 a pop, eh? I'll take six. Any pictures of this stem, by the way? What about refunds - if it doesn't grow in three weeks, I want my money back! 

By the way, which do you have more pictures of tank or non-tank related ones? :tongue:


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Yes, $45 a pop. This stem is so l33t that it is guaranteed to arrive alive only. Obviously, not everyone can meet its requirements. Otherwise, it wouldn't be so leet.

My wife learned long ago that she is less important to me than aquarium plants and she's adapted her flower-related expectations accordingly. 

Plant-nipping fish will be gone tomorrow. I'm donating the fish to a local teacher's assistant to the Head Start program for underprivileged kids ages 3-5. They have an understocked 75g community aquarium. It's probably too late for the stauro tho... 


Pics in the next few days. Gotta do this n that.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Wow, *21 pages*, *400 posts*, and *20,000* page views - insane!

Round #2:


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)




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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

Nice. Are you planning on rearing those eggs, or are you just letting them do their thing?


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Awesome! Any problems with egg fungus?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

roybot73 said:


> Nice. Are you planning on rearing those eggs, or are you just letting them do their thing?


That's the million dollar question... I think I'll let them go this time (their second spawn) and rear the next batch. I think they spawned because I just raised the temp to help the Black pair heal and started feeding those GMO Mysis with lots of protein. 

I'm about to start rearing some live food cultures. From what I've read, that will make it more worth the while in terms of survival rates of the fry. 

The funniest thing is that the rockstar orange marble male is at the total opposite end of the tank, the furthest fish there is... the female won't let him near the eggs, lol. She was crazy-swollen with a long 'tube' yesterday and was acting rather like it was 'her time of the month', so I figured a spawn was coming. 



chad320 said:


> Awesome! Any problems with egg fungus?


 No, my understanding is that keeping the parents in-tank prevents fungus (they clean the eggs). Anti-fungals are only needed when you separate the eggs from the parents.


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

Sweet. Good luck with the live food project!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

macclellan said:


> Yes, $45 a pop. This stem is so l33t that it is guaranteed to arrive alive only. Obviously, not everyone can meet its requirements. Otherwise, it wouldn't be so leet.
> 
> My wife learned long ago that she is less important to me than aquarium plants and she's adapted her flower-related expectations accordingly.
> 
> ...


Nice of you. I went to Head Start and it is a valuable program. It gave me a love of school, probably why I spent 24 years in higher education.

LOL at the wife flowers. The only time I get flowers is when there is a funeral. :confused1:

Loving the shot of the eggs on the sword plant. If I were in a better mood tonight, I'd totally bust your chops for the time of the month comment. But right now, it'd probably sound all mean and hateful and give you further fire for your argument, lol.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Sara, do they count middle and high school as "higher education" in WV? Sorry, just trying to make you smile right now. :'(

It turns out the Head Start thing didn't work out. The woman refused to provide any kind of evidence that the fish would actually go to the program, citing privacy concerns. That's even after I provided my own identity and academic credentials (I teach at the local university and have worked with the local public school system) and pointed out that she should have nothing to hide as a federal employee... maybe I have a high standard, but it doesn't seem unreasonable for some kind of confirmation when someone asks for ~$70 in livestock for free. I only asked for a daytime phone number or web URL for her branch of Head Start... Sorry if that's bitter, but it's frustrating when someone won't help you help them help poor kids.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Good one Mac, good one. That is funny. Don't forget, I'm an "Ohia" gal, just married into WV. LOL. It only took me 12 years to finish 9th grade. Chuckle. Thanks for the laugh, it totally worked. :biggrin: 

No, that is rotten of that woman. I'd be going over her head. If I weren't so nice, you'd hear me say what I think of her and her accounting methods.  Have you thought about a hospice? I was in a hospice a few years ago and they had set up a tank full of platties. It was so peaceful that I found myself sitting in that room when I needed a break from the sorrow. Just a thought. My life long dream is to work for hospice. I've tried for years to get a job there. I would even be a janitor, I feel that strongly about that organization and the good it does. (Sorry off topic.)


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

crappy photo, but shows the growth:


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

awesome.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

IDK why you think its a crappy shot. Looks good to me. Did you relocate the new angels or did I miss something? Is everyone still getting along OK? Hows the eggs doin? My angels had about 5 spawns before they got smart enough to raise them. Some do and some are just sillly heads. Even after mine figured out on the 5th try how to hatch the eggs, they ate the fry after they hatched.


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

Killah. Nice to actually see the bolbitis in there.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Sweet!


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

Mac!!!!!!!
Looks awesome!!!!!
Is that Hygro corymbosa 'kompakt' on the left side of the aquarium...sweetness!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks guys!



chad320 said:


> IDK why you think its a crappy shot. Looks good to me. Did you relocate the new angels or did I miss something? Is everyone still getting along OK? Hows the eggs doin?


 Color is off and contrast is weird.
The new angels both died. No visible injuries.
Eggs probably aren't going to make it. No surprise there.Maybe next time.



roybot73 said:


> Nice to actually see the bolbitis in there.


Yep. Thar she blows! Note also the lil bit of java fern trident on the piece of driftwood just left of the bolbitis.


Coltonorr said:


> Is that Hygro corymbosa 'kompakt' on the left side of the aquarium...sweetness!


 Yup. Yet another plant you plagiarized, lol!


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

aww man that sucks about the angels:icon_frow


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Yeah, sucks about the new angels. And the eggs for that matter. How many times have they spawned? Some parents come around and some never do. Im sure you knew that though


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

That was their 2nd spawn


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Did they eat them or were they not fertilized? The pic looks like they got fertilized. If you eventually get babies I want a few


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

They were fertilized. They didn't pick out the unfertilized ones though, so all got fungal infections.

I got 3 angels today (from a different source). They look like the one below, but are veil tails. Not my first choice, but they were locally bred and very cheap.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Please pardon the mysis cloud. I was showering these new guys with goodness.


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

Crazy veil tail action! Wow. 
Nice 'Raging Donkey' -- looks like it's doing well.


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## Chaos_Being (May 18, 2010)

That is one heck of a veil. Nice looking Angel.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Pretty crazy, right? Definitely a battle between heavenly angels and the fallen here, lol.

More crappy pics:


----------



## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

Nice looking fish Joel! Incredible "finage"


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

WOW! Nice angels!


----------



## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I didn't even know it was possible to have fins like that on a fish. Amazing. Sorry about the other angels. The tank is looking great, Mac.


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

those are the prettiest angels ive ever seen. their fins/tails are as showy as a bettas.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks guys & gals! Honestly, I wasn't too big on these angels at first, but now that they're settled in and have their color back: wow! I think I'll get another 2-3. If the fins stay proportionate to the body, they'll be like 10" (the fins!) when mature(!).

Yeah, roy the 'raging donkey' is doing well. I only used the choicest stuff and dipped in H2O2... I just cut off the rooted portions and doubled up what I have. Should be a nice grouping in a month or so.

Lastly, I have a confession: after weeks of abstention, I started dosing again. It must have been the stress of the easter weekend... they say that admission is the first step to recovery. So I should say that, ladies and gentlemen, "I am an aquaholic."


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## Quesenek (Sep 26, 2008)

macclellan said:


> Thanks guys & gals! Honestly, I wasn't too big on these angels at first, but now that they're settled in and have their color back: wow! I think I'll get another 2-3. If the fins stay proportionate to the body, they'll be like 10" (the fins!) when mature(!).
> 
> Yeah, roy the 'raging donkey' is doing well. I only used the choicest stuff and dipped in H2O2... I just cut off the rooted portions and doubled up what I have. Should be a nice grouping in a month or so.
> 
> Lastly, I have a confession: after weeks of abstention, I started dosing again. It must have been the stress of the easter weekend... they say that admission is the first step to recovery. So I should say that, ladies and gentlemen, "I am an aquaholic."


How could you not be when you have angelfish with tail fins twice as long as their bodies!


----------



## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Hey you in chattanooga: come to our frag swap the day before fathers day! Lots of good stuff, peepz, and times! www.easttnreefclub.com
I designed the flyer...not bad if you ask me.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

thats some intense finnage.


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## TwoStrokeKing (Mar 24, 2011)

This tank is beautiful. keep it up. nice angel fish to!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks TwoStroke!

The Aponogeton ulvaceous is finally taking off and the dwarf needle leaf java fern is showing some new growth. Not sure about a few plant placements, but I'm not moving anything for at least another month or so...

Another FTS:


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Four week progression comparison:


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Lots of pearling today. Invasion of teh bubblies!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Got the grindal worm culture agrowin... kind of exciting, I've never used live foods before!
My wife can't even bring herself to look in the tupperware, lol.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Oh, wow. The change in the tank is amazing in just a few weeks. I don't even want to look any more knowing that it is going to look even better coming up. Nice pearling shots. Is that first one the plant I sent you? It looks like familiar pearling to me. I never realized how beautiful swords and lilies are until they start pearling. 

Tell your wife I feel for her. Although, I used to have a culture of meal worms in my fridge for my pet toad. Grindal worms are a little too creepy for me, though. Looks too much like rice noodles.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Wow that's looking great. It's so clean. 

I like those 'Tropica' swords in the right foreground. Is that Hygro. 'Kompakt' over on the right?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

sewingalot said:


> Oh, wow. The change in the tank is amazing in just a few weeks. I don't even want to look any more knowing that it is going to look even better coming up. Nice pearling shots. Is that first one the plant I sent you? It looks like familiar pearling to me. I never realized how beautiful swords and lilies are until they start pearling.


Thanks & yeah, that's that Nymphoides thing... grows fast!



sewingalot said:


> Tell your wife I feel for her. Although, I used to have a culture of meal worms in my fridge for my pet toad. Grindal worms are a little too creepy for me, though. Looks too much like rice noodles.


Have you seen the movie "The Lost Boys?" LoL



hydrophyte said:


> Wow that's looking great. It's so clean.
> 
> I like those 'Tropica' swords in the right foreground.


 Thanks. I think they're the generic E. parviflorus, not the 'tropica' version (I had that in the past and I think it was a lighter green and grew really slow), but I'm not entirely sure.



hydrophyte said:


> Is that Hygro. 'Kompakt' over on the right?


 If by "right" you mean "left" then yes, that's Hygro. 'kompakt', lol! Yes, very sweet plant. I don't know of any other stem plant with such 'tight' internodes.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Um, WOW, nice job. Are you going to keep trimming the swords or let them get huge? They are growing in very nice so far!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

macclellan said:


> Thanks & yeah, that's that Nymphoides thing... grows fast!


You aren't kidding. The momma plant is already growing new babies since I sent you them all.



> Have you seen the movie "The Lost Boys?" LoL


I loved that movie growing up, must have watched it 50 times by now and every time I see that, I still get sick to my stomach. Too funny. Cry Little Sister is still one of my favorite songs. Haha. (This was back when vampires didn't 'glitter' for you younguns.)

Hey, that prinz you sent me is taking off! I just noticed three new leaves. It's a beauty.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

chad320 said:


> Um, WOW, nice job. Are you going to keep trimming the swords or let them get huge? They are growing in very nice so far!


Thanks Chad. The tank doesn't look all that great, the secret is taking decent photos.

The only large sword is the E. uruguayensis (far right), and that species, while variable, is still relatively small compared to most swords in that it is "only" about 22" tall. Based on what I've read, it should fit perfect, but only time will tell. The other swords are all quite small (parviflorus, kleiner prinz, AFlame). The only plant I'm worried about size-wise is the Aponogeton ulvaceous. I may simplify this layout even further by removing even more species (e.g. stems and selecting between the ulvaceous and the uruguayensis), but that won't be for awhile if ever.


sewingalot said:


> You aren't kidding. The momma plant is already growing new babies since I sent you them all. I loved that movie growing up, must have watched it 50 times by now and every time I see that, I still get sick to my stomach. Too funny. Cry Little Sister is still one of my favorite songs. Haha. (This was back when vampires didn't 'glitter' for you younguns.)
> 
> Hey, that prinz you sent me is taking off! I just noticed three new leaves. It's a beauty.


 I've never seen a plant that grows quite like the Nymphoides, it's like a rosette plant, but produces offspring on the leaves... there are a bunch of small ones already.

Yeah, me and my two younger sisters watched the Lost Boys countless times, probably wore out the VHS. Ah, the good old days.  

Glad to hear that the kleiner prinz is doing well. Neat little hybrid is that little prince


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

macclellan said:


> Have you seen the movie "The Lost Boys?" LoL


lol. that made me not want to eat rice or noodles for a long time.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

sewingalot said:


> I loved that movie growing up, must have watched it 50 times by now and every time I see that, I still get sick to my stomach. Too funny. Cry Little Sister is still one of my favorite songs. Haha. (This was back when vampires didn't 'glitter' for you younguns.)


sara have you heard the Blutengel version of that song? and yes this was when the vampire "scene" was underground, not full of trendy suburban teenagers longing for pale skinned hunks on the silver screen.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Isn't that Nymphoides cool? Wait until it reaches the surface and the leaves float; then the babies really start showing up. The first time I saw the new growth, I thought something was wrong. Amazing plant. It is moving up in my favorite plants list.

Pale skinned hunks? Lol. Sorry, but I find it funny. I am so old now that those guys look too young to be hunks to me. So delicate in the face, no character built in yet (i.e. age). Heard the Blutengel cover. Good, but this girl is in love with the original. Mac - I broke the VHS. Literally wore it out. :hihi: I was so funny, I wanted to be a vampire's girl growing up. Boy was I disappointed when my vamp boyfriend turned out to be a dork in disguise. LMAO!

Oh, and Mac - that prinz is just simply inspiring. I love the burgundy leaves. It's so beautiful. I can't wait to see it grow in more. I've noticed the leaves are getting darker as they age, almost purple. I am officially hooked on swords again. roud:


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

No more talking about lame sparkling vampires in my thread, only badass ones like Lost Boys or Underworld. In general, I find vampires lame. Maybe that's my associating goth (lame) and vampires bleeding over [pun intended]... anyways, discussion of cool creatures like zombies (and werewolves) is totally fine, because those creatures are never lame.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

macclellan said:


> No more talking about lame sparkling vampires in my thread, only badass ones like Lost Boys or Underworld. In general, I find vampires lame. Maybe that's my associating goth (lame) and vampires bleeding over [pun intended]... anyways, discussion of cool creatures like zombies (and werewolves) is totally fine, because those creatures are never lame.


Hey, i was part of the "goth" scene in chicago for like 10 years. (only because the electro/industrial scene was lumped into it):icon_cry:

but it was fun to see all the pointy shoes & capes clear the floor when all the rivet heads started stomping.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

nonconductive said:


> Hey, i was part of the "goth" scene in chicago for like 10 years.


And how is this my problem? lol


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

macclellan said:


> And how is this my problem? lol


it will be your problem when i fly into your room in the middle of the night and drain you of your blood. lol.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

What do you think I have a spare UV-filter laying around for, Mr. Velveteen Goth Rocker with pointy shoes?


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Hahahahahahaha. A vampire war, I love it. Werewolves are another favorite. American Werewolf in Paris, not Teen Wolf mind you. And 28 days later, not Night of the Living Dead Zombies. And I never understood that movie. They walked. Why didn't these guys just run away or step to the side when they came after them? I was punk with a little goth, so there. :flick:


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

lol.. nah, im not that much into goth rock. i like some of the original post-punk bands. but i really think rock formated music is outdated and boring. I'd rather listen to a bunch of bleeps and bloops and dream of outer space.

PS i dont wear pointy shoes, if you dont believe me, check my thread i posted a pic of them.


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

Awesome Joel!
Everytime I see the parviflorious I like it more. 
How's the gecko doing?

Hopefully my order will be in soon...:icon_roll


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

sewingalot said:


> Hahahahahahaha. A vampire war, I love it. Werewolves are another favorite. American Werewolf in Paris, not Teen Wolf mind you. And 28 days later, not Night of the Living Dead Zombies. And I never understood that movie. They walked. Why didn't these guys just run away or step to the side when they came after them? I was punk with a little goth, so there. :flick:


I respectfully disagree. 

I think both "fast" and "slow" zombies have their place, but I actually prefer slow zombies. I do like many of the movies featuring fast zombies, not because they have fast zombies, but because they are good movies, with zombies. There are also lots of good movies with slow zombies (Sean of the Dead, Zombies of Mass Destruction [awesome movie - confronts war, homosexuality, and xenophobia], all Romero films). There's nothing distinctive about fast zombies - might as well be wolves or something. Romero-type zombies (slow zombies) get you by overwhelming you in numbers. The relevant emotion isn't fear like being run down by something more athletitic, but more of a dread of the inevitable, being slowly overwhelmed by a mob of mindless brain-eaters. To me, it's much scarier and 'existential' to have time to think about your inevitable demise than to be chased down like in a straighforward slasher movie. 

There's a really good philosophy book on zombies I implore you all to check out _Philosophy and the Undead: Chicken Soup for the Soulless_ < Best book title evar!

You seriously need to reconsider Night of the Living Dead by George Romero. He's the Godfather of zombie movies. There is much more than meets the eye. All of his films involve cultural criticisms. A few examples: Night of the Living Dead was about racism (made in the 60s with a black male and white female working as the protagonists, refusing to follow the orders of the other two characters: white men). Dawn of the Dead was about mindless consumerism (it's set in a mall), Survival of the Dead is about the post 9-11 "us versus them" mentality, israel-palestine, etc. (two rival families on an island who hate each other for no real reason).

Yeah... I've probably thought too much about zombie movies, lol.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

You make a compelling argument, I must say. Never thought of the simple over whelming numbers being a factor. Actually, I really appreciated the social undertows of The Night of the Living Dead. It was an excellent movie challenging the mores of the time, but I still amused at how slow they were walking. 

A new one Romero worked on _The Crazies_ is actually quite good for the hidden message. You should realize you are talking to a person that loves the horror stories that have a way of questioning society. (However, I always enjoy an entertaining unintentionally funny horror movie, too.) That is why I liked John Saul more than Stephen King. 

I'll have to see if I can get a copy of that book, you have intrigued me enough to want to read it. Funny title. Dawn of the Dead was a great movie and and Sean of the Dead was quite good. Mindless consumerism. I like that phrase. I am stealing that for something I've been writing up.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks, Colt! Geckos R Great!

Sara - Yeah, the crazies (1973) was a good one, as was the remake (2010). same for the remake of dawn of the dead (2004, 1978 was the original). Unintentionally funny horror movies are great. I'm not a huge steven king fan, but some of the books & movies are good. 

The great show, the Walking Dead (season 2 coming soon!), does a good job with slow zombies. The camp is fine with one or two to the extent that the humans get a bit cocky, then a bunch of zombies show up and rutroh!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I didn't realize the crazies is a remake! I have to find it. I never much cared for Steven King. Some like Misery are good, but overall I'm not impressed. I don't watch much tv any more. Is the Walking Dead worth looking up? I am trying not to pick up anymore series as I find them mind numbing, but there is always insomnia that inevitably finds me getting involved in something new.

I really think if it came down to it, any zombie would be frightening in real life.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

sewingalot said:


> I didn't realize the crazies is a remake! I have to find it. I never much cared for Steven King. Some like Misery are good, but overall I'm not impressed. I don't watch much tv any more. Is the Walking Dead worth looking up? I am trying not to pick up anymore series as I find them mind numbing, but there is always insomnia that inevitably finds me getting involved in something new.
> 
> I really think if it came down to it, any zombie would be frightening in real life.


Yeah, I don't Romero had much if anything to do with the remake of the crazies. Same for the Dawn of the Dead remake, but he did a cameo in that. 

The Walking Dead is fantastic: http://www.amctv.com/shows/the-walking-dead First season was six episodes, the ratings and critical reviews were off the charts, so it was renewed immediately. Its an AMC show. I still can't believe the level of gore that was allowed on TV. It's based on the monthly B&W comic by Image Comics, BTW. Been going on since 2003. I've read some, pretty good. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walking_Dead

Yeah, any zombie in real life would be frightening. Less frightening for me because I have this little friend:


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Did you just change that picture or is this headache I have playing tricks on me? Both were funny, but I appreciated that first one more. Anyway, I'll have to look and see if I can get that series on Netflix or find some reruns. Looks pretty good.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

The first one was way too big (I don't have autoresize set on this forum). The second one is mine anyways. Seriously.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Remind me not to visit your house after a night of drinking, I've been told I look like a zombie. :hihi:


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

macclellan said:


>


dang!


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

No Zombieland Fans? More comical than the others, but I think it earned a respectable place in the genre. Those scenes with Bill Murray were classic. I was also a big fan of the original Dawn of the Dead and like the Walking Dead Series alot.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

nonconductive said:


> dang!


In addition to zombies, a double-barreled shotgun is also very effective in keeping people off the porch, especially those with pointy shoes an capes. 



houseofcards said:


> No Zombieland Fans? More comical than the others, but I think it earned a respectable place in the genre. Those scenes with Bill Murray were classic. I was also a big fan of the original Dawn of the Dead and like the Walking Dead Series alot.


 It was decent. Perhaps my expectations were too high. Yes, those scenes with Bill Murray were to die for (har), but they were short and late in a long movie. I liked it better the second time... Actually, the script was originally written for an hour-long TV show format (so, about 40 mins), and the movie was based on the first episode. I learned this after the fact. Frankly, it isn't surprising, it felt like an hour (40m without commercials) stretched into what it was... At least there are more scripts, which means a sequel or two. You gotta see ZMD... miles funnier!



sewingalot said:


> I've been told I look like a zombie. :hihi:


 Why doesn't that surprise me? lol!









Won 'best costume' at the reef club party. A $5 zombie kit and a suit won me $50 in gift certificates to BlueWaterTropicals.com, lol.


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## Kitty_Kitsch (Apr 27, 2011)

No way Tallahassee


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Mac, where is the costume? I thought that's what you look like most of the time.  And you aren't surprised apparently, because you've seen what I've done to my tanks. Haha. Oh and house zombieland is the equivalent to twilight. It's just not right.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

sewingalot said:


> Mac, where is the costume? I thought that's what you look like most of the time.


Ha. I haven't heard that joke since 3rd grade.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

i think you used it as an excuse to wear white face. 

so after the reef club you went and did a twirly dance to the sisters of mercy at the local gawff club.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

I'm actually black you know. Just kidding. But I do play one in real life.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

not just black, but also mean as hell looking. lol


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Since we're on this movie kick... 

I've expanded my dosing regime. I now dose this 5ml 3x weekly. I's got electrolytes, it's what plants crave.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

^ LOL that movie is the best!


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> Mac, where is the costume? I thought that's what you look like most of the time.  And you aren't surprised apparently, because you've seen what I've done to my tanks. Haha. Oh and house zombieland is the equivalent to twilight. It's just not right.


Sewingalot if a Zombie had a planted tank, it would look like your BBA one, LOL. In fact it would be really funny if the Zombieland II movie showed a Zombie's house (I know Zombie's don't have houses) and your tank was featured.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

^
haha!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

macclellan said:


> Ha. I haven't heard that joke since 3rd grade.


Touche. I've always been this lame.



houseofcards said:


> Sewingalot if a Zombie had a planted tank, it would look like your BBA one, LOL. In fact it would be really funny if the Zombieland II movie showed a Zombie's house (I know Zombie's don't have houses) and your tank was featured.


Hahaha, that would be awesome. Maybe Zombies do eventually get houses? By the way, all this talk made me watch _Daybreakers _today. That was actually a pretty good vampire movie. It was pretty awesome with it's message too. If you haven't already seen it, you need too.

Mac I am not sure if you are serious or not. Are you really dosing electrolytes? My head hurts to much to think.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Zombies may not have houses, but it seems that they now drive cars: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sejwanTYx88

I was totally joking about dosing electrolytes, lol. But they are what plants crave!


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

macclellan said:


> Zombies may not have houses, but it seems that they now drive cars: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sejwanTYx88
> 
> I was totally joking about dosing electrolytes, lol. But they are what plants crave!


That's really funny. I saw that the other day. Caught it in the middle and I wasn't sure what I was watching at first. I like when he tries to swing the golf club. Good to see Zombies being practical and going mainstream.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

"call me" lol


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

In addition to 'plagiarizing' Glenn's substrate (Peace River gravel), it also turns out that I'm getting a group of 6 Astraloheros oblongum. 

One of the only decent LFSes around here is moving and has clearance prices on all live stock... gonna stop by tomorrow and maybe grab a few Laetacara curviceps or Mikrogeophagus altispinosus too...

That evil pair of angels somehow appears to be leaving the veil-tails aloe. Yippee. They're also diligently cleaning a sword leaf at the moment, spawn probably coming soon.

Got a microworm culture in the mail. So, I thought the grindals were gross. Now I think they're cute. Microworms are just big enough to be visible to the naked eye. I finally realized what I was looking at when I saw a big mass glistening due to movement. I puked in my mouth a little bit. It tasted like.... microworms.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Um......yuck. Very first time I saw microworms I couldn't stand the site of milk. Seems like we are always borrowing ideas off of each other around here. Except no one wants to have an algae tank like me. *sniff*

Where are the pictures Mac? Of fish this time maybe?


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

macclellan said:


> In addition to 'plagiarizing' Glenn's substrate (Peace River gravel), it also turns out that I'm getting a group of 6 Astraloheros oblongum.
> 
> One of the only decent LFSes around here is moving and has clearance prices on all live stock... gonna stop by tomorrow and maybe grab a few Laetacara curviceps or Mikrogeophagus altispinosus too...
> 
> ...


Plagiarize away! Did you get them from Toddnbecka?? 

Curviceps are sweet man. Have you had them before?? Cool coloration.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Yeah, I had two curviceps in the past (not sure if they were a pair). Actually, they were probably L. dorsigera since they got red to them when they matured... almost black with red accents. Pretty crazy looking. Dorsigeras are often sold as curviceps. I want to try to breed them (either really) now that I've got live foods.

Yeah, the oblongums are from toddnbecka.

Fish pics coming soon!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Got a pair of bolivian rams and a lil baby keyhole, only one they had. quick pics:

female bolivian ram









keyhole and weeun keyhole. isn't he the cutest thing evar!?!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

How did I miss this? Loving the baby keyhole!


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Look at that lil guy! Bolivian ram is a nice touch. What happened to the curviceps?


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

nice new fish mac!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks folks!

@Glenn - I decided to go with the rams because curviceps are pretty similar in body shape and color to both keyholes and austoloheros (brownish and blue/green). There are already 3 keyholes and 6 of the austrolheros coming, so I thought for visual diversity and any potential dominance issues, better to get bolivians - they look totally different and prefer the open substrate out front to the plants in the back. *AND bolivians are way more punk rock with the mohawks.* _Besides, how could you say no to that face?_ lol

This lil keyhole is easily my favorite fish now.

Oh, the angels spawned again last night. I got to see it for the first time too. It was fascinating, kinda gross, and pretty funny too.

In unrelated news: put "get tooth abscess in major molar" at the very bottom of your to-do list, just above "stepping on a land mine" and "placing nail gun in eye socket". Easily the most painful thing I've ever experienced. Worse than impacted wisdom teeth extraction and recovery, machete injury, major sports injuries etc. I had a really vivid cathartic dream that I reached in and pulled it out, sanitized it with h202 and cotton swabs and felt immediate relief... and then I woke up. Thank the gods for hydrocodone and penicillin!


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

LMAO!!!! (Always good for a laugh man. (I could trade some serious wounds with you, but I will refrain.)

Ok, you got me sold on the ram selection. 

So wait, what is in the tank right now? I thought you had a bunch of keyholes in there already???

Austoloheros, not green at all. Yellow, brown, red and blue fleck. Seriously, you are going to freak when you see these things. Just killer looking.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

dude an abscess is no fun at all. atleast your face didnt swell up like the elephant man (mine did).


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Gatekeeper said:


> LMAO!!!! (Always good for a laugh man. (I could trade some serious wounds with you, but I will refrain.)
> 
> Ok, you got me sold on the ram selection.
> 
> ...


Yeah, I'm pretty excited about the Austroloheros, never had anything like it... surprisingly little info on the internet about them.

Nope, I just had two keyholes (not a pair, apparently) since forever ago, and just added a third. In the tank are 6 Angels, 3 Keyholes, 2 Bolivians, about 15 red eyed tetras, 3 congo tetras, maybe 3 ottos. Still gonna get rid of the tetras and maybe add a some kind of fancy pleco. I'll probably add some more bolivians when $ becomes available, shoot for a small shoal... 6 or so, 2m 4f. You mean you're getting rams? 



nonconductive said:


> dude an abscess is no fun at all. atleast your face didnt swell up like the elephant man (mine did).


 Who said it didn't? lol


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

OK you may be tied with the squatty potties...

:hihi:


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

^ Hehe.

Some pics I found on cichlid-forum... sweet looking fish fo sho!

and a 720p video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOHbe7AmY1U


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

What the wha?!
Dude, those things are _crazy_ looking! Very cool, and a tad 'game show' in their own right! 
Can't wait to see yours. This tank is a veritable Cichlid Rumble Bucket!


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## oscarsx (Mar 15, 2011)

Awesome little ram dude.. 
My LFS has one right now and I'm debating weather I should get it or not lol.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

just buy him! bolivians are sweet.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Hope you feel better. 

Seriously, you need to get that fish so we are all envious and visit your journal with intense longings.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Yeah, buy the bolivian!

Thanks for the well wishes.

The Australoheroes will be here on Wednesday.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Good news - My aquarium is still holding water and all the fish are still alive! Been outta town since Friday and all is well in this little 'world'.

I'll post some pics once I get some new plants planted!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

"Halp!"


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

LOL! They are truly a treat. Enjoy.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

They look like a cross between a jaguar cichlid and a jack dempsey. There's no way they can be planted tank friendly, lol. We'll see!


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Even more like a _Pseudotropheus crabro_ (Bumble bee cichlid)


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

macclellan said:


> They look like a cross between a jaguar cichlid and a jack dempsey. There's no way they can be planted tank friendly, lol. We'll see!


Let's hope your tank doesn't end up looking like the salad bar at The Sizzler after the "all-you-can-eat Wednesday" dinner hour...

Those fish are seriously cool looking.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Haha, I can't wait to see if your tank is still standing after introducing those guys!


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

They are very chill fish.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Really? A chill cichlid! That is awesome. I want some now. I love the yellow and black stripes. Mac, if you ever get bored of them....


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Same one that I have Sara. The "little pigs". The keyholes that Mac has are also very chill.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

That is the same fish? Must be the bag throwing off the resemblance to me as I keep switching back and forth going "no way!" LOL. Mac, acclimate those guys and take some pictures for idiots like me. I love keyholes, man! You are having me wanting a cichlid tank bad now!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Gatekeeper said:


> Even more like a _Pseudotropheus crabro_ (Bumble bee cichlid)


 Yeah, the stripes are like Bumblebees, but the barring is less consistent, but the blue speckles, red tail, and the body-type is new world for sure. My brother in law has bumble bees... in the tank *with his large mouth bass* (don't ask!).


roybot73 said:


> Let's hope your tank doesn't end up looking like the salad bar at The Sizzler after the "all-you-can-eat Wednesday" dinner hour...
> Those fish are seriously cool looking.


 Yes, they are seriously cool looking.  I heard that they are good with plants, but the fact that they look like jag-dempsey crosses has me a lil bit worried, lol.


Gatekeeper said:


> They are very chill fish.


 They are cill, for cichlids. Still though, they've managed to take over the back right of the tank. The angel pair and keyholes are swimmng around up front like "ok, what do we do now?"


sewingalot said:


> Mac, acclimate those guys and take some pictures for idiots like me. I love keyholes, man! You are having me wanting a cichlid tank bad now!


 Of course you want cichlids. They are the coolest kind of fish by far. It's a fact.  
Here are some pics of *SEAL Team 6*. Unfortunately, the most colorful two refused to come out of hiding, so here are some of the duller ones for now, but they aren't dull at all. Arg... looking at my tank now and they are out... figures!

Here's one:









And another:









And a wee un:









Das Keyholzen:









El Rey:









La Princesa:


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Wish I could take a picture. Maybe I should take a class or something. You guys make it look so easy. Maybe learning some of the buttons and do hickies on the 500 dollar camera would be worth it.

Fish look great Mac.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

What camera do you have? 
Taking fish pics doesn't take much know-how beyond the basics. 
It's about the equipment (camera w/macro lens at minimum, tripod and above-tank flash are a huge plus).


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Haha, you speak in three languages, brilliant. I like the first fish. He is beautiful in an unassuming way. I'll go as far as saying, he's the prettiest.


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## shane3fan (Nov 2, 2009)

mac----is that video you posted yours? I noticed the user name on the video and was curious.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Sara - I made up the German... no idea how to say "keyhole" but wish I did! 

How can you say that first one is the prettiest when you haven't seen the prettiest of all? He's out and about now, I'll try to get a photo later. He has a split in his tail, which is a bit endearing.

Shane - the video of the oblongum above? No, that and the photos are not mine, just something I found linked on cichlid-forum.com when reading up on this fish.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

awesome pics mac. why dont you come over and take some of my tanks & fish.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Mac - _Schlüsselloch_. How can I say he is the prettiest? Because I find the handsome qualities in the subtle fish. The ones that are unassuming and patiently waiting to be noticed behind the show offs.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

macclellan said:


> What camera do you have?
> Taking fish pics doesn't take much know-how beyond the basics.
> It's about the equipment (camera w/macro lens at minimum, tripod and above-tank flash are a huge plus).


Canon EOS Rebel XTi with the stock lens. It was a lot of money when I bought it, not sure if its a "good" camera or not. We never really use it to its potential and I have never bought any add ons since I had no idea what to buy!

Would be open to suggestions to start me off in the right direction with equipment if you have any.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

nonconductive said:


> awesome pics mac. why dont you come over and take some of my tanks & fish.


 Sure thing. Just send me a plane ticket. I'm sure we'd have a blast!



sewingalot said:


> Mac - _Schlüsselloch_. How can I say he is the prettiest? Because I find the handsome qualities in the subtle fish. The ones that are unassuming and patiently waiting to be noticed behind the show offs.


 Of course _you_ would know that in German. Pics of the "show offs" soon enough anyways! :red_mouth



Gatekeeper said:


> Canon EOS Rebel XTi with the stock lens. It was a lot of money when I bought it, not sure if its a "good" camera or not. We never really use it to its potential and I have never bought any add ons since I had no idea what to buy!
> 
> Would be open to suggestions to start me off in the right direction with equipment if you have any.


I'm a Nikon guy, but Canon's aren't too shabby either.  Seriously though, that camera is better than mine (mine is 6MP and is USB1, not 2). 

It would be best to start with a good tripod (read: sturdy). Don't get a cheap flimsy tripod), a mount (a ball-mount or similar), and a flash that you can place off-camera a.k.a. remote flash. You need one that is compatible with your camera. You're looking at several hundred for a Canon-branded flash. Polaroid makes one that's $129 shipped on Amazon. These three things will make your camera steady and the subject brightly lit. From there, it's more and better lenses, like a macro and telephoto.

Here's a pic of my basic but respectable kit:









Nikon D70 body.
Nikkor ED 18-35mm
Nikkor 70-210mm
Nikon 5T Close-up filter. Old and hard to find, but high quality optics. Best thing short of a macro-lens (but only like $30 used instead of hundreds).
Nikon SB600 Speedlight
Manfrotto tripod
Manfrotto ball mount.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

*Holy Crap*

I hit 5k posts and didn't notice. Time to take a break for awhile and focus on stuff that really matters! Luv u peepz! Be well and do good!


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

How bout a full tank shot with that fancy camera before you go?!!!


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

well since you are not around i guess you won't mind that i posted this pic of you from last saturday night.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Hahahahahaha, too funny. Mac, I think you need to post a FTS now so that shot doesn't haunt me in my dreams.


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

Waiting...


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

I think we need an updated pic!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

So... life happens!

There was a leak in my co2 system; I gassed out sooner than I should have around the time I last updated... and no co2 in the tank since then. Been running 2x54w bout 6 hours a day since then (including when I was out of town for about 8 days)... natural die off of lower leaves since then, but stabilized and doing well... a bit of BBA on some older leaves, but w/e.

Lost 2 of 6 of those fancy cichlids, some came sick with velvet/body fungus (should have QTd, learned a lesson there, even when using recommended breeders). The remaining 4 look great!

I gave away the black angels.. .they were the small fish in the big pond. The rock star angel pair killed off all of those fancy veil tails... only 2 angels in 90g. Survival of the fittest. They've been grooming my magfloat for a few weeks, and they spawned on it today, so no clean glass or photos for awhile, lol.


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

aw, they'll give the magfloat back in about 5-6 days depending on temp LOL
congrats on the spawn


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)




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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Another spawn congrats


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

thanks. first spawn of the oblongum. doubt anything will result, but still exciting.


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## AngelfishKid (Dec 7, 2010)

Gaaahhh, I have no life. I just read the whole thing and all I can say is WOW! Its interesting to see how the tank progressed, then was torn down and so on.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

congrats on the spawn, way cool!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Backflushing the FX5 winning! It will be a year before I need to open it up and cleanit.

Angel - I. Hope it was worth the time! Thanks nonc.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Hi folks! Remember me? 

I think this thread needs an update. I'll get on that ASAP.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

:icon_roll6 months, yeah I think an update is due.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

mac!!


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Haha, I was shocked to see your tank on the first page of the journals. Welcome back  And yes, we are due for an update...


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## rockwood (Jun 19, 2010)

Hey Mac, 

What does your substrate consist of? Sand and then a light gravel? I was considering doing something like that to my tank but didn't want to cause any anaerobic issues. Are you having any problems from that set up?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

rockwood said:


> What does your substrate consist of? Sand and then a light gravel? I was considering doing something like that to my tank but didn't want to cause any anaerobic issues. Are you having any problems from that set up?


yeah, sand and carib sea peace river gravel mixed together. so far so good. it burps now and again, but I think that is the soil, not the sand or gravel.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Hi folks! Jeez, has it really been that long? Argh. 

Last update on this tank... This tank has had nothing but food and occasional WCs for over a year, let the co2 go too. I defend my dissertation next week, graduate in August, have taken a job as a university professor in Washington, and am moving in two weeks! I'll be starting a new tank (40B) once I'm settled into the Pacific Northwest. Selling off all the plants in S n S in a few minutes!

Anyways, here's the last shot of this tank before teardown.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

well blow me down... it lives!


congrats on everything!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks, non-c. 

Oh yeah, there was a spawn I forgot to mention, still not free-swimming though.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

wow extra congrats!!!


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

haha! back from the dark beyond of the real world for a visit AND gone again it seems.
GONGRATS & CONGRATS!


watching for the future 40B


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

macclellan said:


> It's easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission...


just catching up on this thread and yea, wiser words have not been spoken. i don't think i would be able to do anything to my tanks if my lady friend knew what was going to be involved. and she will never know that i wipe my fish water hands on her towel if it's closest:red_mouth hehe


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