# Cochepaille's 110g "dream office" tank



## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

*Most Recent Tank Pic (07/02/15):*









*Last most recent tank pic (04/03/15):*









As you can see, I added a huge melon sword (best $7 I ever spent at a LFS!), the dwarf sag are going nuts and the crypt are getting very tall.

*Current Fish:*
Angelfish (3) - koi, black lace and a marble (planning to add 3 or 4 more)
Pearl Gouramis (6)
Cherry Barbs (20)
Opaline Gourami (1)
Iridescent Shark (1)
Japanese Algae Eater (1)
Cory Cats (2)

*Current Setup:*
_Lighting:_ 8x 9w CFLs (low/med PAR) in workshop light housings run 9.5 hr /day
_Current Plants:_ Melon sword, Anubias, dwarf sag, Japanese dress, jungle val and crypt.
_Current Substrate/Filters/Other:_ MGOCPS and Safe-T-Sorb, 2x canister filters (about 500 GPH turnover), 300w heater, 400 GPH powerhead, 2x 15" bubble wands and blue LED ambiance lights at night).

*Original Post:* (note that my plans changed quite a bit)
Hello all,

One month from now, my fiancee and I will close on our first home in Ansonia, CT. Fortunately, we found a house that grants me the luxury of having a 12x12 office. Given that I thoroughly enjoy carpentry, I also have the luxury of creating my office exactly the way I want it. I planned on building my desk, a bookshelf, and various other pieces that will all be stained the color I want with finishing touches that I want, but the room needed something. 

I've always had medium size aquariums (25-40 gallons), so I thought of just putting the aquarium that I have now (viewable in my profile) into my new office... but it's not the right finish, and it would look puny in such a large space. That got me thinking... why not do a huge aquarium! I toyed around with some layouts, and came up w/ the following:



So then the issue became what to put in the aquarium. I started my very first aquarium with very bright fake plants, kitschy centerpieces, and very random fish that never went well together... I was 12, alright! lol Then I saw my neighbor's tank... probably an 80 gallon, lots of earthy colors, and nothing but real plants. Remembering that tank got me thinking... what if I did real plants?! How hard can it be! lol

Well thanks to a bunch of members on this forum and a number of other websites, I got the confidence to start planning a planted tank!

First things first, I got the tank itself:



I bought it off of Craigslist along with an Eheim Professional IIfilter for $250. It's 60"L x 18"W x 24"H, and holds 110 gallons. A great size to create the focal piece on one wall.

I could have bought the stand with it, but my plan from the start has been to build my own base and hood. The base is an easy chore... the hood, however, is a different story.

The next issue that came up was lighting. 

After reading numerous threads, I discovered that, surprise surprise, plants can't live without adequate lighting! lol I want to save some $ and avoid flourescent tube lighting, so T12's, 8's, and 5's are out. I thought of LED's, but realized that buying a pre-fab unit would be too expensive, and doing a home made unit would be too time consuming. Then I saw the tread on CFL's. I learned that if you install CFL's with the right reflectors and placed them correctly, you can achieve medium lighting (around 50-100 PAR), which would be more than enough for the plants I'm thinking about (see below). Accordingly, I came up w/ a setup that I believe will work quite well, and I'll be able to build a hood around it so that it will look like I bought it that way:



_Edit_: I won't be doing the LED lights any more b/c I found a bubble wall/LED combo that eliminates the extra wiring and adds a cool effect! I also overestimated the PAR produced by 23w CFLs... 8x 9w CFLs produce 35-55 PAR). See later posts.

And that brings up the next question... what to do for fish.

I've always seen cichlids in pet stores and loved them... but they're always on what most pet store workers call the "aggressive and difficult wall". Well I'm sick of gouramis, barbs, and tetras, so I decided to go for whatever I want in this tank damn it! lol Unfortunately, a number of websites I visited indicated that most cichlids like to unearth plants and move substrate around... I thought my hopes of having those "aggressive/difficult" fish were gone. 

Then I learned about discus fish! I've only seen them on occasion in the big-box pet stores, and I really enjoy the look of them... and as it turns out, they really like planted tanks! Therefore, I decided that my "focal-piece fish," if you will, are going to be discus fish... probably about 4 or 5 of them to be introduced to each other as time goes on.

_Edit_: I won't be doing discus fish. After a lot of research, I've realized that it would be expensive to maintain 80*+ temps in my basement and my plant selection would be limited due to the low/medium PAR and high temps.



But I can't just have discus fish... they need some tank buddies! As I browsed the local mom-and-pop pet store the other day, I came across what looked like huge tiger barbs. I've always loved tiger barbs, and these looked even cooler! I learned that they are called clown loaches, and that they would be perfect with discus fish... finally we're starting to get somewhere! So for now, I've decided to get 2 or 3 clown locus.



Well that takes care of the bigger fish, but I need some schooling fish... something that will stay small and look nice with bright colors. Neon tetras first come to mind... those blue and red fish that we all loved as kids. But I've had 5 cherry barbs in my current tank, and I'm blown away with how colorful they are and how nicely they set off the green vegetation around them. So when it comes time, I'll probably put about 30 tetras OR cherry barbs in the tank... that should be enough (for now)!





Alright, now for the substrate.

Given that I'm only going to be an associate attorney and not a partner, I can't break the bank with this tank. In addition, I won't remember to fertilize the crap out of it, and I don't want anything that would make a chemist run away. So a number of you pointed me in the direction of Miracle Grow Organic Choice Potting Soil... a substrate that will easily host a variety of vegetation with little to no work on my end. All that I have to do is cover it up with some pool filter media as a cap and call it good!

Speaking of filters, I should probably mention what I think I'm doing for filtration.

I purchased my tank with an Eheim Professional II external canister filter, which is capable of effectively filtering a tank of up to 92 gallons... just shy of my 110 gallon tank. 



The seller ensured me that it would be adequate on its own, but a number of you have indicated that I might want to consider supplemental filtration in the form of another canister filter. For now, I'm operating under the assumption that I will be adding in another filter, probably one that is capable of handling a tank of up to 100 gallons on its own, but I'm not 100% sure on this. I'll keep you posted.

Now for the most important part... the plants!

This, to me, is the most difficult part. I want something beautiful, yet easy to care for. I want something that doesn't need CO2, yet will grow well in medium light. Basically, I thought I wanted the impossible. However, after scouring the web for hours (again), I came up w/ a list of plants that will work well in higher temperatures (b/c of the discus), medium lighting (b/c of my DIY lighting), and without much care (again, no CO2 and probably no fertilization... I'm lazy). Accordingly, here's what I came up with:

For the foreground, I'd like to do a Christmas Moss carpet (1st image) with bushels of Cardamine Lyrata (2nd image). I'll form the carpet by cutting cutting craft matting to whatever shape I want, sandwiching the Christmas Moss in between two sheets of the matting and placing it directly over the substrate.





For the mid-range, filler plants, I'm probably going to do Dwarf Sag, mainly b/c it's a nice looking grass-type plant that gets to be a medium to tall height.



For the background plants, I'll place Echinodorus Cordifolius (1st image) and Echinodorus Uruguayensis (2nd image) around whatever I choose as center pieces, limiting myself to 4 to 6 of these plants total since it is a fairly narrow tank.





I think that all of these plants will work well together, and all of them should be fine with the fish I'm going to introduce into the tank.

Well, that's it for now! My next contribution to this thread won't be for quite a while as I will be taking the bar in July and studying from now until then, lol. After that, my fiancee and I will be moving in on August 1, and I'll have to tackle the other little projects around the house before I can begin building my dream office. I expect that those projects will take me until early November, at which point I'll begin to plan the base and hood for the tank. Once the tank is set up, I'll wait a few months after all the plants have been established and all the parameters are correct. I'm going to do all this right the 1st time!

Feel free to post any comments, questions, or concerns you may have... any advice is appreciated!

Thanks!


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## Jorge_Burrito (Nov 10, 2010)

Going for both Discus and a planted tank for the first time is a bit ballsy, good luck with it. Christmas moss and pretty much any other moss besides fissidens will not survive the high temperatures required for Discus. Dirt substrates can be problematic with Discus, they can leach small amounts of contaminants which most fish are tolerant of but the very sensitive Discus may not like and they don't lend themselves to vacuuming which if you are feeding your Discus properly as juveniles you need to do often.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

Cardamine does not like higher temps either. And those are clown LOACHES, which do want to be in groups of at least three. 

Keep shooting those ideas out here. I like the way you think.

There is a discus forum out there where they have an entire section for planted discus tanks.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

Ahhhh! You know what, I'm starting to 2nd guess my selection of fish! lol That discus forum is actually a sticky topic, and it confirms what you guys say (discus + planted tank = extremely difficult). Now that I know how impossible it would be to keep plants at those temperatures, I think I'm going to steer clear of discus for now.

At least it's easier to get different fish than it is to rearrange all the plants... any thoughts on big, colorful centerpiece fish?


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## PamAndJim (Sep 15, 2010)

Some nice Angels would be a good option.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

PamAndJim said:


> Some nice Angels would be a good option.


I can see the appeal w/ Angels, but I've never liked them myself. Too delicate looking for my taste. Thanks for the suggestion, though!


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## GMYukonon24s (May 3, 2009)

Nice to see another with a 110g but I have the tall instead of long ways. I'll keep my eye on this thread.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

Can anyone recommend a large, colorful *cichlid* species that would be alright w/ the plant species I want (i.e. one that will tolerate lower temperatures)?


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## JasonG75 (Mar 1, 2011)

Cochepaille said:


> Can anyone recommend a large, colorful *cichlid* species that would be alright w/ the plant species I want (i.e. one that will tolerate lower temperatures)?



Aussie Rainbows.


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## LB79 (Nov 18, 2011)

No large, colorful cichlids other than discus or angels will leave the substrate and plants alone. How about one of the gourami types? 6 or 8 pearl gouramis would look awesome. Also, cardinal tetras like warm water (80˚F minimum). Clown loaches get about a foot long when fully grown (big enough to EAT cardinals), and are fast and strong (so much so that they greatly disturb the substrate and can batter the plants and knock over decor). A good fish for an unplanted 'big-fish' tank.


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## ony (Apr 1, 2011)

Boesemani rainbows! Big, brightly coloured and have an amazing irridescent quality. I drool over them every time I go to the fish shop.


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## LetThereBeFish (Dec 7, 2011)

What about severums?


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

LetThereBeFish said:


> What about severums?


As I understand, they eat plants like there's no tomorrow, lol. Thanks for the suggestion, though!


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

Alright, once again I'm flip-flopping on my fish choice, lol. I can't find ANYTHING as nice as discus fish, and other cichlids, as I have been told, will just tear up my tank and eat any small schooling fish I want. So now I'm back on the discus train! lol 

That, however, means that I have to re-think my plant selection b/c none of the plants I wanted would survive at 80+ degrees. Accordingly, I've come up w/ a list of other plants that I think might work.

What are your thoughts on these plants?

Java moss (carpet)
Java Ferns (med)
Jungle Vals (thick/tall grass)
Ruffle Swords (tall)
Rangeri Swords (tall, thin stock, broad leaf)
Red Melon Swords (same as above, red/green color)
Rotala Indica (tall, scraggly bushes)
Anubias (short, broad deaves)
African Bolbitus (tall, fern-like)

I'm definitely going to use the java moss carpet (although I wish I could do the Christmas moss b/c it's a lot nicer looking), probably the java fern as a medium-height plant, and then 3 or 4 of the taller plants.


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## ptr (Sep 23, 2011)

I wouldn't recommend Java moss for a carpet. It grows way too messy.
What about dwarf sags ? they spread fast, and will survive at 80.


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## JasonG75 (Mar 1, 2011)

Just remember with ANY moss carpet, like your hair, it will need trimming.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

ptr said:


> I wouldn't recommend Java moss for a carpet. It grows way too messy.
> What about dwarf sags ? they spread fast, and will survive at 80.


I thought dwarf sag grows pretty tall? I would like more of a carpet look, you know?


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

JasonG75 said:


> Just remember with ANY moss carpet, like your hair, it will need trimming.


That's why I was looking to do the Christmas moss... I've read that it doesn't grow as scraggly as the java moss, and that you only need to trim it about 1/2 as much.


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## JasonG75 (Mar 1, 2011)

Cochepaille said:


> I thought dwarf sag grows pretty tall? I would like more of a carpet look, you know?


 
negitive, that's why its called DWARF


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

JasonG75 said:


> negitive, that's why its called DWARF


Maybe that's the route I'll take, then. Do they spread out on their own (meaning that I won't have to plant hundreds of little plants just got get the carpet-esque look?


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## ony (Apr 1, 2011)

Cochepaille said:


> Maybe that's the route I'll take, then. Do they spread out on their own (meaning that I won't have to plant hundreds of little plants just got get the carpet-esque look?


Yep the new plantlets grow off runners. It grows quite fast and mine is only about 2 inches tall max.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

ony said:


> Yep the new plantlets grow off runners. It grows quite fast and mine is only about 2 inches tall max.


Excellent! That's exactly what I'm looking for. Now I can get the carpet look w/o having to do all the work of creating a moss carpet!

Thanks guys!


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## JasonG75 (Mar 1, 2011)

Also let me give you this link. 

http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_cat.php?category=6

If you want to create a natual habitat for your discus find out WHAT plants are from that area. This link will help.


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## ptr (Sep 23, 2011)

Actually, some dwarf sag grows taller than others - don't know why.

Here is a picture of the tiny ones:









and here are the taller ones:









If you can get your hand on the tiniest ones, you will get a carpet look over time. They grow fast and dense.


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## JasonG75 (Mar 1, 2011)

here is an updated pic of my tank, you can see them in the left corner


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## fusiongt (Nov 7, 2011)

My opinion on your filter is that just one Eheim Pro II is not enough. Yes it says up to 92 gallons but almost everyone here "over filters". People will put the Eheim Pro II on their 40-60 gallon tanks. I had it on a 60 gallon and I felt it wasn't enough and added in an extra canister. I would suggest the same, perhaps another Eheim Pro II to keep things uniform and you'd be good. Of course just my opinion, if your tank is thriving then that's great =)


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Cochepaille said:


> Alright, once again I'm flip-flopping on my fish choice, lol. I can't find ANYTHING as nice as discus fish, and other cichlids, as I have been told, will just tear up my tank and eat any small schooling fish I want. So now I'm back on the discus train! lol
> 
> That, however, means that I have to re-think my plant selection b/c none of the plants I wanted would survive at 80+ degrees. Accordingly, I've come up w/ a list of other plants that I think might work.
> 
> ...


Hi there,
I believe you may have had a look at my low-tech planted discus tank on another thread which you started recently regarding your 110 gal tank (re: 'large center-piece fish'.) On that thread I also listed a number of plants which would do well at the higher temps needed to keep discus.

Your list above is fine, except possibly for the Java Moss. In my experience with planted discus tanks, many plants do very well @ 83-84 F, except for carpet plants of any kind, which are not only 'iffy' at the temps, but tend to create conditions which are not conducive to keeping the relatively pristine water quality conditions needed for discus to thrive. (very difficult to keep the substrate clean & free of detritus.)
A couple of other suggestions for you to consider:
- Using any type of soft, 'dirt-type' substrates capped by sand or gravel' while good for the plants, can create undesirable conditions for discus in terms of difficulty in maintaining high water quality. A good substrate to use for a planted discus tank is a good grade of pool filter sand, with plant ferts supplied by root tabs & other liquid or dry ferts in the water column.
- Tankmates: Clown Loaches are not generally regarded as compatible discus tank-mates. They are very active, grow quite large, and may tend to startle and stress discus. As well, Neon Tetras do not handle the higher discus temps well, and may become snacks for larger discus. Good tankmates are Cardinals, Rummy-Noses, Lemon Tetras, GB Rams, Cories, and there are others as well.
Hope this helps you with your decisions.
Please don't hesitate to PM me if you have any further questions.
All the best to you with your discus tank project.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

fusiongt said:


> My opinion on your filter is that just one Eheim Pro II is not enough. Yes it says up to 92 gallons but almost everyone here "over filters". People will put the Eheim Pro II on their 40-60 gallon tanks. I had it on a 60 gallon and I felt it wasn't enough and added in an extra canister. I would suggest the same, perhaps another Eheim Pro II to keep things uniform and you'd be good. Of course just my opinion, if your tank is thriving then that's great =)


Yeah, that's what I'm going to do... especially considering the fact that I will be keeping discus and the tank is long instead of tall. I started another threat re: where to place the 2 filter intake/outputs, and the vast majority of members who commented indicated that I need 2 filters even if it's just to move the water around properly.

While I won't be getting another Eheim Professional II, I will make sure to get one that has equal or greater capacity, that way I can put them at opposite sides of the tank and ensure the best water movement & filtration.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

discuspaul said:


> Hi there,
> I believe you may have had a look at my low-tech planted discus tank on another thread which you started recently regarding your 110 gal tank (re: 'large center-piece fish'.) On that thread I also listed a number of plants which would do well at the higher temps needed to keep discus.
> 
> Your list above is fine, except possibly for the Java Moss. In my experience with planted discus tanks, many plants do very well @ 83-84 F, except for carpet plants of any kind, which are not only 'iffy' at the temps, but tend to create conditions which are not conducive to keeping the relatively pristine water quality conditions needed for discus to thrive. (very difficult to keep the substrate clean & free of detritus.)
> ...


Hey Discuspaul,

I believe I did look at your thread, and it was very helpful... in fact, I've made a few decisions because of your thread and the comments that I've received on all of mine.

First off, I will be doing discus. I won't, however, be keeping clown loaches (for the reasons you have indicated). Instead, I'll probably keep a small school of pearl gouramis as well as some small schooling fish (tetras/barbs) to be determined, and a couple of loaches (probably zebra or other, small ones).

Second, I have ruled out doing a true "carpet" out of any moss. Instead, I'm going to do a dwarf sag "carpet".

The substrate will be the same, we'll see if that works out.


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Cochepaille said:


> Hey Discuspaul,
> 
> I believe I did look at your thread, and it was very helpful... in fact, I've made a few decisions because of your thread and the comments that I've received on all of mine.
> 
> ...


Sounds good.
If you decide on Barbs, go with the more peaceful barbs, like cherry barbs - stay away from Tiger Barbs - which are very active and 'nippers' as well.
All the best to you.


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## MrAlmostWrong (Jul 16, 2012)

Sorry to bring up an old thread, but I was searching for Dwarf Sag and this came up. The Dwarf Sag I had grew to about 8-9 inches, so Dwarf in that sense was a giant misnomer. Once it established itself, it grew very fast.

Any updates on how the office came out?


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

Actually, I'm just now starting to build my office, lol. Life gets in the way pretty easily, and the office and tank went on the back burner. Now that I've got the ok from the wife to start my office, I'm gearing up! I'll revive this thread again in the next couple months as I build the base, hood and lighting.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

Revival time!

After hitting another year of snags, I'm finally able to get going on my tank! 

Got going on the base this afternoon. Here's a pic:










Hoping to line the inside, put in shelves and finish the outside tomorrow, then stain and poly next weekend. After that I'll get going on the hood. Still going with CFLs with steel reflectors and some blue moon light LEDs. Not sure what direction I'm going with plants and fish, though. Leaning toward real plants with some simpler fish... we'll see.


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Hey, good to see your thread revived. Looking forward to seeing further posts on your progress - keep it going!

Bump: Hey, good to see your thread revived. Looking forward to seeing further posts on your progress - keep it going!


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## ObiQuiet (Sep 9, 2009)

Very nice! I have a similar tank to set up in the next month. 

Question: Did you use plans for that base, or design it yourself?


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## xxUnRaTeDxxRkOxx (Jul 12, 2011)

MrAlmostWrong said:


> Sorry to bring up an old thread, but I was searching for Dwarf Sag and this came up. The Dwarf Sag I had grew to about 8-9 inches, so Dwarf in that sense was a giant misnomer. Once it established itself, it grew very fast.
> 
> Any updates on how the office came out?


You're correct, Dwarf Sagittaria can get up to 12" tall which is why it's comical to name it "dwarf" when it gets tall lol.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

ObiQuiet said:


> Question: Did you use plans for that base, or design it yourself?


I designed it myself. It's not that hard - you just have to make sure that all your cuts are very, VERY straight and that you check that every piece is at a perfect 90* angle before sinkling screws into it.

Here's a pic with the inner liner:


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

Got the oak ply on today. Next weekend will be trim and sanding.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

Finished the trim and doors a couple weekends ago, onto the hood today.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

I admit that I skipped a page but if you are still looking for a cichlids that would work, I advise not to follow the normal cichlid advise. Too many give up too quick when they read the horror stories about cichlids. 
I find several that work okay with planted tanks. My favorite is a combo of rainbow cichlids ( herotilapia multispinosa) and Ellioti cichlid with various catfish and clown loaches.


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## ROYWS3 (Feb 1, 2014)

The stand is beautiful! What color are you going to stain it?


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

PlantedRich said:


> I admit that I skipped a page but if you are still looking for a cichlids that would work, I advise not to follow the normal cichlid advise. Too many give up too quick when they read the horror stories about cichlids.
> I find several that work okay with planted tanks. My favorite is a combo of rainbow cichlids ( herotilapia multispinosa) and Ellioti cichlid with various catfish and clown loaches.


I'm actually still looking at getting some clown loaches... they have such a cool look!

Bump:


ROYWS3 said:


> The stand is beautiful! What color are you going to stain it?


Honey oak, like this:










My den/home office is all a combo of honey oak and cherry (one mahogany piece that I'm still refinishing).


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

Finished the hood today! Next weekend I'm hoping to fill the nail holes and imperfections, sand, stain and poly. 



















After that, it's lighting, plumbing, substrate and... drum roll... PLANTS! My goal is to get the parameters under control by the first of the year and introduce fish soon after.


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## treyLcham (Sep 9, 2014)

LOve honey oak=) are u staining it or are u just going to put a semi gloss coat and call it a day? I used Birch and stained it then did about 4layers of semi gloss =) cant wait to see your finished result all put together with plants and fish=) MIne should be done by the end of this month at the latest XD http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=731401&highlight=


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

treyLcham said:


> LOve honey oak=) are u staining it or are u just going to put a semi gloss coat and call it a day?


Thanks! I'm going to stain it and do a semi gloss poly (prob 3 or 4 coats).


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

Got everything stained and put on one coat of poly today. I also painted the inside of the hood white for some sealing and easy cleaning. Here's a pic with the stain:


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## ROYWS3 (Feb 1, 2014)

Beautiful!!


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

Finally got everything put together! Next is lighting, then tinkering with the lighting to get the correct PAR, and finally the substrate, plants and fish!


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## BraveBuc (Nov 8, 2012)

Well done.

I'll be following along. I've been going back and forth on discus for awhile. Can never decide if they are worth it in a planted tank.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

BraveBuc said:


> Well done.
> 
> I'll be following along. I've been going back and forth on discus for awhile. Can never decide if they are worth it in a planted tank.


Thanks! And if you're following along to see how the discus work out, I hate to disappoint but I won't be doing discus. It would be too expensive to maintain the temps needed in the tank (it's cold in the lower level of my house and that's how I like it) and with low PAR my plant selection would be limited. That and I'm going for low to no maintenance.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

After a month or so of working on the nursery for my first child (she's due in April but my wife and I got too excited, lol), I've finally circled back to tackle the lighting on my tank. The setup seems to pump out a lot of wattage... more than I expected, but I'll be able to tell just how much later this weekend when I test fill it and do a grid of measurements with the PAR meter. Here are some teaser pics:










Yes, I know the painted background is thin... more coats to come!










And a very dirty tank!


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

Alright, time to talk plants... well, almost, but I can't wait for this, either! I'm planning on purchasing all the plants to stock my tank next weekend, and I'd like to get any input that I can. Alright, so here goes.

First off, I know what I'm doing for substrate and a cap. The substrate is going to be 1-2" of *Miracle Gro Organic Choice Potting Mix*, and the cap is going to be 1-2" of *Safe T Sorb (aka Safe T Oil Absorbent).*

The lights, as mentioned in my previous post, are 8x 40w equivalent CFL bulbs in reflectors.

Here's the layout I'm going for:










In the middle will be a couple of very long pieces of driftwood, which will pretty much span the length of the tank.

After a lot of research, here are the plants that I've selected:

*Carpeting/Lower Plants: *Dwarf sag (lots) with scattered Cardemine Lyrata.

*Medium Plants:* Crypt Wendtii and Anubias Barteria

*Tall Plants:* Tropical Hornwort (tied to rocks) and Round Leaf Anubias.

I'm ordering all the plants on-line... no good, local pet places that have everything I want. Here are the quantities and prices... let me know if I'm getting ripped off:

Dwarf Sag x 3 trays of 10 plants @ $5.99 per tray
Cardemine Lyrata x 10 @ $2.89 per plant
Crypt Wendtii x 4 @ $5.49 per plant
Anubias Barteria x 2 @ $6.49 per plant
Tropical Hornwort x 4 @ $2.99 per plant
Round Leaf Anubias x 3 @ $6.49 per plant

*Total cost: $113.44* + $25 shipping (overnight)

I'm going to order the plants next Friday so that I can have everything ready to go on Saturday morning.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

*LIGHTING TEST #1*

Thanks to a friend who was willing to let me borrow his PAR meter, I'm able to run some tests to figure out the PAR values at various places in my tank with different setups. Since the first setup yielded PAR values that are WAY too high, I'll be trying again tomorrow with different bulbs (yes, I know I could just bring up the reflectors, but it's a lot easier to buy a bunch of cheap bulbs!) Alright, now let's get scientific! 

Tank Dimensions (inside): 59" long x 17" wide x 22" deep

Light Fixtures: 8x 8" aluminum reflectors hung 2" from waterline (tank filled)

Light Bulbs: 8x 23w CFL's (100w equivalent) "daylight" (6500K)

Par meter placed at bottom of tank (no substrate).

I only measured the values for 1/2 the tank because, well, the values would be the same!

*Results**:








*

I was shooting for low to medium lighting, so I think I overshot that by just a bit, lol. I think the 45w equivalent "soft white" lights will work much, much better, so that's what I'm going to try next. Stay tuned!


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## sadchevy (Jun 15, 2013)

I use only three of the 6" brooder lamps with 23 watt cfls over my 125 and my s. repens is carpeting very well.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

sadchevy said:


> I use only three of the 6" brooder lamps with 23 watt cfls over my 125 and my s. repens is carpeting very well.


Awesome! Your tank looks great! Wish I had known how much list those reflectors throw, but hey, bulbs are cheap! Going with 8x 45w equivalents.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

*Lighting Test #2*

Well I think I'm going to have much better luck with the 40w CFL's. Testing this morning with 40w equivalent 9w actual) "daylight" CFLs and the same reflectors hung 2" above the water line and the PAR meter on the bottom revealed 35 - 55 PAR in the planted areas. I didn't do another fancy-shmancy grid, though... just kind of moved the meter around to see what the numbers were. For the most part, reducing the numbers by the percentage difference in the bulbs (40/100) works for guestimating what bulbs to use.

Also, I didn't like how the forest green background paint looked, so I bought a quart of black paint and slapped on a few coats and it looks WAY better.

On to planting next weekend!


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

Well after 2 1/2 years of owning this tank, it's finally up and running! 










Still a bit cloudy, but a lot better than I was expecting for only 12 hours of filtration! Planning on doing a water change in a day or so, then again in a week.

So my plans changed drastically since my first post... cichlids to angels and gouramis; driftwood to rocks; one filter to two and a powerhead, etc.. All changes for he better, I think, but some for practicality and a bit of impatience!

The most drastic change is to the lighting. My lights - 8x CFLs in 8.5" reflectors - went from 100w equivalents to 40w equivalents, dropping the par from over 120 to around 35-50. Thanks to a friend with a PAR meter, I was able to figure this out without ruining over $100 worth of plants! The lights will be running for 9 hours per day (noon to 9pm).

A *tip for anyone building a similar setup*: if you plan to use bubblers, shield the reflectors with plexiglass... the bubbles throw water inside the reflectors and on the bulbs, causing a dangerous situation.

Filtration: one Eheim Pro II rated at 277 GPH (believeable with the water pressure coming from the sprayer!) and a Sunsun 265 GPH unit (don't believe that rating for a second as the water trickles out the sprayer). I have a 400 GPH powerhead on the side with the Sunsun unit located alongside the heater (Eheim 300w) to help circulate the warm water and make up for the lack of flow on that side. This combo seems to work incredibly well thus far - not too much flow so the plants don't get pushed around too much, and just enough to circulate the water well.

I'm running 2 15" bubble stones from 9pm to midnight to aid in oxygen absorption for the plants (and cool looks). The LEDs (built into the bubblers) run from 10 to midnight... no reason other than looks.

The substrate is Miracle Gro Organic Choice Potting Soil - about 1.5" - and the cap is Safe T Sorb - another 1.5".










With my tank inside dimensions (17x59) it took about a bag and a half (60 lbs.) to cover the floor with 1.5" of MGOCPS after it was packed down with a manual tamper. The Safe T Sorb only took about 2/3 of a 40 lb. bag. I didn't prepare either layer beforehand; I just dumped them in the tank dry. The soil was already pretty saturated any way. FYI, some people say that they noticed big chunks of bark and other stuff in the MGOCPS, but mine was really clean. Another FYI, the Safe T Sorb was a bit dusty, but not bad. Also, it's very light once submerged, so I'm sure you need to be careful when vacuuming or during a re-scape. Just setting the rocks in the tank caused the cap to move quite a bit.

Originally, the hard scape was going to be two huge pieces of driftwood that a family friend gave me. When I started filling the tank, up went the driftwood! They were VERY buoyant, probably from sitting in his lawn for years, so I know it would have taken months to let the wood become waterlogged again. Because I'm impatient, I took some rocks from a landscape wall in my yard and threw a few of them in for some variation. It's not as cool as the driftwood, but I'm still happy with it.










I am really, really happy with the plants that I ordered from aquarium plants.com. 

*Carpeting/Lower Plants*: Dwarf sag (25) with scattered Cardemine Lyrata (10).
*Medium Plants*: Crypt Wendtii (4) and Coffee Anubias (2).
*Tall Plants*: Tropical Hornwort 4) and Round Leaf Anubias (3).

All the plants are very hardy and mature, except for the dwarf sag, which came in individual, small shoots, and the Coffee Anubias, which are pretty much roots with a couple leaves. 

I'm going to start water tests this week with the hope of introducing fish in a month or so. And yes, I will watch out for nitrogen spikes due to the air pockets in the soil!

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this post and my othe posts... But now the adventure really begins!


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## ROYWS3 (Feb 1, 2014)

love the look of Saf-T Sorb. Looking forward to clear photos. I'm planning to do the same with saf-T sorb -- no rinsing -- just putting it in.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

ROYWS3 said:


> love the look of Saf-T Sorb. Looking forward to clear photos. I'm planning to do the same with saf-T sorb -- no rinsing -- just putting it in.


Thanks! I looked long and hard for the right cap, and this was both the right look and, as luck would have it, the cheapest! If you don't have the tank space to lay a 1.5" layer, I think I could have gotten away with 1" but no less. This stuff is surprisingly light.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

Day 4 and the tank is getting much more clear:










Did a 50% water change last night, which helped with clarity. No issues with water parameters thus far, although the cycle is still in its infancy. I'm considering adding ammonia to jump-start the process... thoughts?

I am, however, having an issue with my dwarf sag dying. Not sure what's going on, but a lot of the leaves are rotting. Fortunately it's one of the cheaper replacements, but I'd like to figure it out to prevent it from happening again. Any thoughts?


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

It's day 10 and the plants are thriving! 










Well, all but the tropical hornwort, which, as I've found, doesn't like to be tied down. The hornwort I got came in about 18" lengths, so I tied them to anchors in the middle to create bush-like background plants that stretch about 9" tall. After about a week the "bushes" started to melt where they bunched in the middle... yeah, that was fun to scoop out of the tank! I also think that being at the bottom of the tank in the back didn't help things either. In any event, they're bouncing back a bit.

The dwarf sag melted quite a bit, too, but they're already bouncing back. As you can see from the pic below, the Crypt Wendtii are going nuts!










Overall, I'm still very pleased with the plants I ordered. 

Now I know this might be a bit controversial, but I've decided to do a fish-in cycle - 4 small angelfish and 15 cherry barbs. After all the research I've done, and after reading all the conflicting opinions, I've come to the conclusion that I would rather just keep an eye on the parameters for a while as opposed to setting it and forgetting it, and I'm hoping that the plants will help to keep the ammonia and nitrate levels low enough during the cycle that it won't hurt the fish. To jump start the cycle, I grabbed a very well worn HOB filter pad from my smaller tank upstairs and tossed that in the tank for a few days, then I just tore the filter pad off and stuck it in one of the canister filters. In addition, I did a 75% water change in my smaller tank (30 gal) and dumped that water into this tank. I had already thrown in a shrimp a few days earlier, so I threw in a few more just for good measure. Checking the parameters today, I finally saw some ammonia register... now the fun begins!

The fish have only been living in the tank for 2 days now, but they're very happy thus far. Once the cycle is complete, I plan on adding another 4 angelfish, maybe 5-10 more cherry barbs and 2-4 other medium-size fish (gouramis, maybe).


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

Just over 3 weeks in and the ammonia cycle is complete. The ammonia never got over 2 PPM (I'm sure heavy plant stocking kept it down), and it started to decline about 15 days in. Water test yesterday indicated that Nitrites have hit 5 PPM and Nitrate was at about 5 PPM. I did a 70% water change and, hopefully, the nitrite cycle will be on the decline this week with the nitrates on the rise. 










All in all, the plants and fish are doing remarkably well, as you can see, especially the plants! The tropical hornwort stopped melting/shedding and has simply started to grow upward instead of outward. The Cardemine Lyrata are going absolutely nuts! There is one CL, however, that is looking a little thin, but that one is in a place with very little light (center/left on the tank wall). It's still living, though. The dwarf sag are a healthy color now, hopefully sending runners all over the place! The Crypt Wendtii are taking a little while to get established, but they look better than when they were first planted. Lastly, the Coffee Anubias are starting to send out new shoots of leaves... crazy how quickly everything took off. The one plant with which I am a bit disappointed is the round leaf anubias. They are still very, very small and really don't show any sign of growing. Maybe it's just my impatience, but I don't think I would have purchased them had I known that they stay fairly small. Either that, or I would have put them in a better spot (front in stead of mid tank).

I'm satisfied with the number of fish at the moment. The school of cherry barbs makes a nice contrast to the plant life, and the Angelfish are fun to watch, especially with the blue LED's at night. I'll try to get a more clear pic of that sometime soon.

As to the equipment, I'm very, very pleased with the Eheim Pro II and my DIY lighting setup. The lighting (8x 40w equivalent CFL's in workshop reflectors) is on from 11 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and, as indicated above, the plants are thriving. As to the Eheim filter, it provides great flow and it is very quiet. I don't use the internal heater function that it offers, though, because I have a sufficient external heater (another great Eheim product). The Sunsun canister filter is a bit disappointing. It works, but it doesn't provide a great deal of flow - certainly not the 360 GPH that its company advertises. That being said, it kind of worked out well since the Eheim Pro II creates so much flow... the fish use the side with the Sunsun for a refuge in the evenings and the side with the Eheim for fun throughout the day. The 400 GPH powerhead was a good addition just to get better circulation on the Sunsun side, though - I placed it about 1/2 way up the wall alongside the heater to move the warm water around throughout the day (time controlled from noon to 5 pm).

After all the horror stories about the Miracle Gro Organic Choice Potting Soil, I have to say that I'm a bit relieved because I have not experienced any of the issues commonly reported by others (nitrogen bubbles, debris sifting through cap and clouding water, etc.). I think the reason for this is because the SafeTSorb cap is thick enough to prevent the debris from floating up and because I used an 8x8 steel soil tamper to pack down the MG before pouring in the cap. I do notice some bubbles from time to time, but nothing alarming, and certainly nothing that has caused the fish to show signs of distress.

When I sat down to tally up all of my costs for this project, I was pretty happy with the cost effectiveness of doing everything myself:

1. Tank and Eheim Pro II filter - $200 (Craigslist)
2. DIY oak base/hood: $350
3. DIY lighting: $80
4. SunSun secondary canister filter - $60
5. Eheim external heater; powerhead; bubbler/LED aerators and supplies: $100
6. MGOCPS substrate and SafeTSorb cap: $20
7. Plants: $120
8. Chemicals/testing supplies: $50
9. Fish: $30

*Total: $1,010*... not too bad for a beautiful centerpiece to my home office - and one that will self-sustain for years and years to come!

I'll post another pic when the tank parameters hit equilibrium.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

Okay, so I want to warn anyone with a low/medium light setup like mine AGAINST keeping *tropical hornwort*.

This is what it's supposed to look like:










And this is what mine looks like:










The plants keep shedding like crazy, they break loose from my plant anchors every day, they collect algae like it's their job and they're just not thriving in my tank. Major PITA! If anyone can give me advice to help them, by all means show me the way... otherwise, I'm tossing these damn things!


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

I just realized that I really never indicated what fish I chose to populate the tank. In the end, I chose not to go with a few "centerpiece fish" like discus or other cichlids. Instead, I went with all the fish I loved as a kid but could never keep alive.

For schooling fish, I have 15 *cherry barbs* with plans to add another 10 to 15 in the near future. I also have a small school of 10 *tiger barbs* to give the cherries some friends to chase! Also part of those groups is a lone serpae tetra from my old tank... he was the only one to survive a power outage that brought our apartment down to 50* several years ago.

While the cherries and barbs are plenty colorful, I've always loved *opaline gouramis* for their cool blues, so I have 1 in the tank... I would have 2, but they seem to do better alone.

For some bigger fish, I have 2 *angelfish* at the moment, with plans to add about 4 more sometime soon. These are the only fish about which I was concerned because I didn't think they would survive with tiger barbs. The tigers did get 2 of the angels I put in with the 2 I have now, but the other 2 are apparently fighters, so they're giving just as good as they get!

And for my monsters, I got a couple of *iridescent sharks*. Now I know what you're going to say... they're going to get way too big and/or die prematurely. Well, the life they would live in some 10-year-old boy's 10g with fake plants is far worse than living in my 110g planted tank, so I don't feel terrible.

I also have a *Chinese algae eater* and a few *cory cats* for clean-up. I have to say, the Chinese algae eater does a far better job than any pleco that I've ever owned... that and I'm not afraid to stick my hand in the tank with cory cats!

Everything lives pretty well together... hoping that I can keep it that way!


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## alipper (Nov 6, 2012)

Tank looks good. Nice to see another fellow CTer.


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## andrewss (Oct 17, 2012)

wait so you stocked the tank? or is that your plan? sounds like you have the tank stocked now... but you posted no new pictures of the inhabitants!? that should be punished!!


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

I did stock the tank (see my previous post); in fact, I just topped it off on Saturday with 4 more Angelfish! And I know some may it's "inhumane" to put fish in before the end of the cycle, but I started stocking the tank over 1/2 way through the nitrite/nitrate cycle... it only took a week for the nitrates to overtake the nitrites, and then another week or so for everything to hit equilibrium. It's been all 0's across the board since then!

Here are some pics of the fish:









4 of the angelfish look like this one, and the other 2 look like the following one.









I must say, I'm pleasantly surprised with Angelfish... I've never owned them before, but they're fun to watch.









My "monster"... well, not yet, but he will be!









The hermit... hardly ever comes out from behind the heater. I knew that they're hiders, but sheesh!









Now these are the fun ones to watch!

While I'm posting pics, I might as well post some one ones of the plants:

The cardamine lyrata are doing well... weekly trimming helps. Also in the background are my new Jungle Vals (planted yesterday).










I really, really enjoy the broad leaf anubias. All three have sent up at least 2 new leaves since planting.









The dwarf sag has gone crazy in this area... can't wait to see what it looks like in a year!









And here's the big picture! Very happy with the outcome of everything... now to watch it take off!


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## andrewss (Oct 17, 2012)

your tank just reminded me... I need to decide on a background sooner than later 

tank is lookin good!


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

andrewss said:


> your tank just reminded me... I need to decide on a background sooner than later
> 
> tank is lookin good!


I would recommend spray-painting it black. Don't bother with a brush or roller...too much of a pain.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

Well I've given up on buying juvenile angelfish... of the 8 that I've purchased, less than 1/2 have survived. The only explanation that I can Coe up with is that the tiger barbs pick on the a bit too much and the stress kills them.

Is it worth my time to buy more mature angelfish (the ones I've purchased so far are about the siz o f a nickel)? If so, what size should I get?

I'm thinking that buying 4 more at the size of the 2 surviving ones (bigger than a quarter) will work, but then we're talking $15 /ea, so I don't want to throw $60 down the drain.


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## ROYWS3 (Feb 1, 2014)

They say that keeping large groups of tiger barbs really limit their tendencies to nip and for the most part that is true but I think those long flowing angelfish fins are just too much temptation. I personally wouldn't keep those two species together


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

Unfortunately, I think you're right. I got 10 tiger barbs for that specific reason, but 4 or 5 of them always break off into a smaller group and chase the angelfish. Woke up this morning to find the last of the new angelfish belly up, so I'm all done with angelfish.

I purchased 2 pearl gouramis yesterday hoping that they would be left alone as my opaline gourami is. Thankfully, that has been the case so far (knock on wood). If, however, the tigers don't leave the pearl gouramis alone, it's out they go!


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## ROYWS3 (Feb 1, 2014)

"they" meaning the tigers or the gouramis?


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

Awesome tank and build. I'm hoping to get into some carpentry stuff once we move.and I can stock my workshop. Other than that I think you'll find that you couldn't have chosen worse fish for the Tiger Barbs. The only other fish that is well regarded as a "no-no" with Tiger Barbs would be a Betta... I would think of the three Angels would have the best chance since they are cichlids and can be quite aggressive. Your Gouramis will not be happy in there... Tiger Barbs are voracious eaters and Gouramis are very shy and reclusive with active fish like that. You could do Angels AND Gouramis if you got rid of the Tiger Barbs. I know they're cool looking and exciting, but they are just too much for most non barb fish...
I'm considering Angels and Gouramis with some kind of loach or similiar for a 180 gallon living room tank


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

ROYWS3 said:


> "they" meaning the tigers or the gouramis?


They being the tiger barbs... if I could ever catch the little SOB's! Fortunately, the Tigers are peacefully coexisting with the pearl gouramis, so I think I'm fine.


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## ROYWS3 (Feb 1, 2014)

Cochepaille said:


> Fortunately, the Tigers are peacefully coexisting with the pearl gouramis, so I think I'm fine.


 WOW SUPRISING - but I'm glad to hear it


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

ROYWS3 said:


> WOW SUPRISING - but I'm glad to hear it



They're doing so well that I went back to the same LFS to pick up 2 more. The new ones, too, seem to be doing great, and they're both on the smaller side. I think the tiger barb problem was limited to the size of the fish... the angelfish were just too small and enticing to pick on. Here are some pics of the pearl gouramis that I took today:


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## ROYWS3 (Feb 1, 2014)

those pearls are beautiful fish! I do hope all continues to go well with them


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

Alright, I'm done with Tiger Barbs! They never did pick on the Pearl Gouramis, but they started picking on the only remaining Angelfish. If anyone earned his place in the tank, it's that Angelfish, so the stupid TB's are OUT!

Getting those suckers out of a planted tank is no fun at all. I tried the fish trap (2L bottle w/ top cut off to funnel them in) with no success... the Cherry Barbs were enticed, though! Then I had a bright idea: take a couple pieces of picture frame glass and box the suckers in! I picked the emptiest spot in the tank, removed a couple of the plants that could easily be replanted, drained about 75% of the water (enough so that the picture glass was about 2" over the water line) and corralled them in a few at a time. Eventually, I got them all out, although I stressed the crap out of my other fish.  They're all fine, though.

Tomorrow, I'm off to get a bunch of Angelfish and a few more Pearl Gouramis (they'll be replacing the TB's). The TB's will be donated to the store... good riddance!


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

How many Angels are you going to add? I'm doing some in my 75 gallon. I'm looking at the Dantum crosses and the Pinoys.. there are so many beautiful forms out there


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

The Dude said:


> How many Angels are you going to add?


I'm going to do 4, for now - I actually just got the other 3. Now I have a basic marble (the one who "earned his spot" by surviving with the Tiger Barbs), a cobalt blue, a black lace and a koi. I'll post some pics of them later tonight when they're accustomed to the tank.

To replace the Tiger Barbs, I got another 2 Pearl Gouramis to make a group of 5. Now that the TB's are gone, they're 10x more active and they're out in the open 100% of the time. In retrospect, TB's were a bad decision.


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## Coralbandit (Feb 25, 2013)

Cochepaille said:


> To replace the Tiger Barbs, I got another 2 Pearl Gouramis to make a group of 5. Now that the TB's are gone, they're 10x more active and they're out in the open 100% of the time. In retrospect, TB's were a bad decision.


 I think you made the right choice and will get to enjoy your tank more for it!
Good luck and can't wait for pics!


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

Managed to take a few good pics of the new Angelfish tonight. I'll try getting a group shot of the Pearl Gouramis soon. I must say, I'm incredibly happy that I got rid of the Tiger Barbs!

The Koi:









The Cobalt Blue:









And the Black Lace:









I also managed to get a nice picture of my Opaline Gourami:


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

This is awesome! Glad to see you went with the shop lights. I was super interested after I read your post in a different thread. You should put your Journal in your signature.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

Freemananana said:


> This is awesome! Glad to see you went with the shop lights. I was super interested after I read your post in a different thread. You should put your Journal in your signature.


Thanks, it's been a fun hobby for me! Good idea on the signature link!


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

Are you still using 9w CFL lights (40w equivalent)? I was thinking of using 8 lights (just like you have them set up but 10" reflectors instead of 8") with 13w CFL (5000k or 6500k) over a 48"x24"x24" tank. It is just a little deeper than yours and I was also going to opt for suspending them above the surface a little bit to get a better spread. But based on what I have seen from you that might put out too much light if you are getting 30~50 par with 9w lights. Do you have a glass lid? I was planning on a glass pane over the top which cuts down on the light some. Lastly, you don't have any floating plants do you? 

Your tank is just SO close to being what I want to do that I have to ask!


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

Freemananana said:


> Are you still using 9w CFL lights (40w equivalent)? I was thinking of using 8 lights (just like you have them set up but 10" reflectors instead of 8") with 13w CFL (5000k or 6500k) over a 48"x24"x24" tank. It is just a little deeper than yours and I was also going to opt for suspending them above the surface a little bit to get a better spread. But based on what I have seen from you that might put out too much light if you are getting 30~50 par with 9w lights. Do you have a glass lid? I was planning on a glass pane over the top which cuts down on the light some. Lastly, you don't have any floating plants do you?
> 
> Your tank is just SO close to being what I want to do that I have to ask!


Yup, I'm still using the same 9w/40w equivalent CFLs. I don't have any glass over the tank other than the center support glass, nor do I have any floating plants. With the added 3" of substrate (note that my 2nd lighting test was from the glass bottom), I think I'm getting closer to 50 PAR everywhere at the bottom. If you look at my most recent tank pic, which is now on post #1 in this thread, you can see that the light spreads fairly well to the bottom - my dwarf sag on the right side are evidence of that.

I think you'll be fine with the 40w equivalent bulbs in 10" housings, even with the added height to your tank and possibly even with the glass across the top, although I'm not sure how much light will bounce off the glass. You can, however, mix in some 60w equivalent bulbs in those areas where you intend to plant more medium light plants. I've actually thought of replacing my back row of lights with 60w equivalent bulbs since the jungle val's are more on the medium spectrum.

Feel free to ask any other questions, and good luck!


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## birbaliktanki (Jun 18, 2014)

why don't you try altum angel? they're incredibly beautiful. just don't know about the cost.


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

Dwarf sag may be something I try this time around since I can up the light. I am a pretty big fan of amazon swords which do well in low light but I'm sure they can live with more light. The mix of higher light bulbs may be a decent idea. You are still maintaining a 10 hours photo period, correct? That is near perfect for me personally.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

Freemananana said:


> You are still maintaining a 10 hours photo period, correct? That is near perfect for me personally.


Actually, I'm doing a 9 hour photo period at the moment, but I think I'll be switching back to 10. My Japanese Cress were wilting a bit, but the shorter photo period doesn't seem to help that. I think I just need to trim them and replant the clippings, otherwise the leaves start bunching like a balloon instead of bushing out.

Bump:


birbaliktanki said:


> why don't you try altum angel? they're incredibly beautiful. just don't know about the cost.


I had not heard of those until now. A quick Google search leads me to believe that they're not easy to care for, and I've never seen them at any of my LFS's, so I don't think I'll even have the opportunity to get one.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

I've made several plant changes to the tank that I'm _very happy_ with.

*Most Recent Tank Pic (07/02/15):*









*Last most recent tank pic (04/03/15):*









As you can see, I added a huge melon sword (best $7 I ever spent at a LFS!) and removed the Japanese cress. I've also added a few strands of pennywort that are doing quite well. The dwarf sag are going nuts and the crypt are getting very tall.

The only disappointment is the jungle val. I'm not sure whether it's the fact that the back of the tank is low light or they just don't like the parameters of my tank, but they've hardly grown at all in the last 3 months; in fact, they've just molted and gone nowhere. I don't care that much since all the other plants are growing in so well, but it would still be nice to have a completely full background.

And if anyone is curious, I've washed out both canister filters and all the trays one time since the tank was established (spreading them out 2 weeks between washing and using water change water to do the cleaning.

Other than that, this tank has been great - a true "set it and forget it" type of tank. Water changes once a week, sometimes once every other week if I forget, and the plants/fish are thriving.


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

After a few months with no issues, my tank is hitting its first algae issue: *black beard algae*. It started as a few innocent patches on my driftwood and has slowly taken over the Anubias to the point where I'm going to have to trim them down to the ground and wait for them to come back. 

I'm going to try the peroxide method on the driftwood, removing it from the tank to wipe out the BBA without affecting the balance of the water. After that, I'm going to drain the water enough to spray the Amazon Sword, perhaps even the Anubias... just concerned with draining the water that low and spraying peroxide into less water. Then I'm going to clean the powerhead, filter lines and sprayer heads. *Any thoughts on doing this method from those of you who have dealt with this issue?*

Word to the wise: black mollies do nothing to remove black beard moss. I nought 6 of them at a LFS... 4 died, the other 2 were quickly removed when I found one of my angelfish infected with some gill disease the next day. Never again will I go to that LFS!


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## rebelbuck1993 (Sep 3, 2014)

Cochepaille said:


> After a few months with no issues, my tank is hitting its first algae issue: *black beard algae*. It started as a few innocent patches on my driftwood and has slowly taken over the Anubias to the point where I'm going to have to trim them down to the ground and wait for them to come back.
> 
> I'm going to try the peroxide method on the driftwood, removing it from the tank to wipe out the BBA without affecting the balance of the water. After that, I'm going to drain the water enough to spray the Amazon Sword, perhaps even the Anubias... just concerned with draining the water that low and spraying peroxide into less water. Then I'm going to clean the powerhead, filter lines and sprayer heads. *Any thoughts on doing this method from those of you who have dealt with this issue?*
> 
> Word to the wise: black mollies do nothing to remove black beard moss. I nought 6 of them at a LFS... 4 died, the other 2 were quickly removed when I found one of my angelfish infected with some gill disease the next day. Never again will I go to that LFS!


the best way i have found to rid BBA on tanks in the past is with peroxide in a syringe and squirt it on to the affected areas under water with water movement stopped for 10-15min intervals for a week 2-3 times daily then doing a big water change after that week, might have to do this 2 times and it will be gone. i have personally done this on other peoples tanks and my own i would say 10-13 times and it works :thumbsup:


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## Cochepaille (May 3, 2012)

rebelbuck1993 said:


> the best way i have found to rid BBA on tanks in the past is with peroxide in a syringe and squirt it on to the affected areas under water with water movement stopped for 10-15min intervals for a week 2-3 times daily then doing a big water change after that week, might have to do this 2 times and it will be gone. i have personally done this on other peoples tanks and my own i would say 10-13 times and it works :thumbsup:


This is the best method I've found, although it melts some of the plants (melon sword and broad leaf Anubias, in particular). I've had to re-do the peroxide bath 2x over the last 2 months and I plan on doing it once more to rid the tank of the remaining BBA. Hopefully that will do the tick.


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## MikeS (Apr 27, 2008)

For BBA, I usually double dose the excel. Sometime other plants may melt just a little, but since i treat the entire tank, I don't miss any. In my last set up, I hate true siamese algae eating fish, and didn't have a problem after,


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