# 46 Gallon Low Tech Journal



## jackh (Jul 2, 2008)

the crypts look like either red or brown crypt wendtti and the last pic looks like an amazon sword imo. if you find out otherwise please tell me bc i have a plant that looks identical to that one and it was labeled amazon sword in the store


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I have the same tank with the same lighting, and I'm about to upgrade to this light fixture: http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsU...6/cl0/coralifefwt5aqualightdoublestriplight36 
Still in the Low Light realm with no CO2 needed, but a vast improvement from my current fixture.

IME the swords will be OK but won't grow much if at all, but your stems won't make it under your current lighting in a tank that deep. I haven't ever tried crypts in my tank but I suspect those will have problems too.


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## boredouttahell (Jun 29, 2008)

thanks for the suggestion laura, i'll probably upgrade after i graduate from college because ill probably take the tank down when i go to college.

jack, i definitely dont think its a amazon sword.
after a bit of looking it looks alot like a 
Cryptocoryne parva


can anyone confirm this?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

C. parva is a dwarf crypt. Hard to tell how tall your crypt is from the pic, but looks to me like regular C. wendtii 'green'


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## stev0205 (Nov 5, 2007)

yea wendtii 'green' for sure


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## boredouttahell (Jun 29, 2008)

lauraleellbp said:


> C. parva is a dwarf crypt. Hard to tell how tall your crypt is from the pic, but looks to me like regular C. wendtii 'green'


its about 6-8 inches tall.


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## i love planted tanks (Apr 27, 2008)

i have the exact same tank and light also wood grain and all.nice tank did you use the sand from home depot that stuff is awsome and cheap i have that in all of my tanks


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## Oscar17 (Dec 7, 2007)

The picture of the last plant, the picture that is sideways, with the long narrow leaves... I think it may be *Cryptocoryne x willisii *(mistakenly known also as Crypt. Nevillii). I've had a very healthy one in my tank for a while now... 6 to 8 inches tall. Look it up.


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## Oscar17 (Dec 7, 2007)

Here's a picture of the *Cryptocoryne x willisii (Nevillii) *I was talking about.


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## seAdams (Jun 2, 2008)

Your tank looks very beautiful. I hope it does well.

The only plant I was able to keep alive in my tall tank with 1 wpg light was Java fern. Even an Anubias fell apart.


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## boredouttahell (Jun 29, 2008)

thanks oscar, i think that is the plant.

and seAdams you should try crypts, the ones in my tank are growing pretty fast. what kind of substrate do you have?


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## seAdams (Jun 2, 2008)

I only got some crypts after I upgraded my lighting. Never tried them with the 1 wpg. Now I have them in two tanks, some in regular gravel and the others in Flourite. They're doing very well in both tanks but I think the ones planted in Flourite are lusher.

Glad yours are growing well. They're lovely plants.


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## jackh (Jul 2, 2008)

sry i was thinking brazil sword but typed amazon. thats what i have and it resembles that pic but i now realize the pictured plant is way smaller than mine. this is what mine looks like, found this on google.

http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Plant,307.jpg


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

tank looks good. Good luck!


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## boredouttahell (Jun 29, 2008)

update: a bit of algae came up so i added 2 Chinese algae eaters, but a new problem has arisen. an infestation of snails has started.










so should i try and remove them or leave them to eat the algae?
if so, how should i try to control the situation?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Get rid of the CAE (they'll get big, ugly, and aggressive) and replace them with a few loaches. Yoyos, zebras, or Chain (dwarf) would get the job done- they love snails.

Get Otos, Amanos, and/or SAE to help with algae, and you may need to lower your lighting/reduce your photoperiod.


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## boredouttahell (Jun 29, 2008)

im going to start stocking after i get back from a 10 day vacation. any ideas for stocking? at first i was thinking angels. but i was intrigued by shrimp, so i was wondering can i keep shrimp with angels? if not what kind of fish can i keep with shrimp?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

IME Angels love eating shrimp.

Smaller community fish are safer- you want fish whose mouths are signficiantly smaller than the fish. Most species of tetras, rasboras, danios can be kept with shrimp as long as the shrimp are large adults. I have large Amanos in my 90gal, so they are safe from my German Blue Rams, but my RCS were not and that colony is now gone. Plecos, Cories and Otos are generally shrimp-safe. 

If your goal is to breed shrimp, then you'd do best with a shrimp-only tank.


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## boredouttahell (Jun 29, 2008)

i was thinking about upgrading my lighting using eco-friendly LED lighting because i want high lighting without increasing my electricity bill.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...o=CRX&its=S%2BI%2BSS&itu=ISS%2BUCI%2BSI&otn=4
i was thinking about putting in 2-3 of these that i have on for ~15 hrs a day and just using the florescent lighting only when i want to look at the tank.
and ideas or sugesstions?


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## boredouttahell (Jun 29, 2008)

Heres an update to my tank: Its been about 2.5 years since i set this tank up. 

Current Inhabitants:
5 Angel fish (1 breeding pair)
4 cherry barbs
4 emerald corys
2 dwarf gouramis

Plants:
2 different unknown swords
Cryptocoryne lutea
Cryptocoryne wendtii 
unknown grass like Plant
Jungle val
Hornwort


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Welcome back!

The tank is beautiful!


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## boredouttahell (Jun 29, 2008)

thanks laural, its done surprisingly well, im not dosing any ferts or co2 and it still turned out great.


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