# ringram's 90g -- Updated 3/6/09!



## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Here is a picture of my current 90g Oceanic fish-only tank that I'll be tearing down and converting to a planted tank. I've never done a journal before, so I figured now would be as good a time as any. 

















I'll still be using the Eheim 2026 filter and probably nothing else for the time-being, unless it's needed.









I'll also be using the hydor 300W inline heater that has performed flawlessly since the tank was setup in April 2006.









I've been doing ALL KINDS of reading, asking questions and thinking out the entire process. Thanks Momotaro for your wonderful thread on the 37g tank you did -- I sort of "borrowed" a few ideas as you'll later see.
The biggest thing I tried to keep telling myself is that planning and thinking it all through prevents problems down the road. More to come!

-Ryan


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

*Update*

Ok, I first thought about the outlet that this will be plugged into. I wanted to install a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) outlet, in the event of a leakage, etc. I already installed these in our kitchen, two bathrooms and outside, so it's nothing new to me. I went out shopping yesterday:









Then I thought about the powerstrip (NOT surge protector) that is currently being used on this tank. That has to go. Plus, all this equipment deserves protection in the event of an electrical surge. It's simply the right way to do it. I bought these for about $7/ea at Home Depot.









I also bought some conduit brackets (thanks Momotaro!), which will be mounted to the back of the stand to keep the filter hoses in place and neat.









This next item is Professional grade multicable staple. I'll be nailing this to certain areas inside the stand and using it to hold wires in place.









Along with those previous two items, I also picked up some double-sided adhesive and zip ties as you can never have enough of this stuff. Both will be used to assist in mounting items and keeping wiring out of the way.








That's all for now. I'm currently considering the purchase of a powerhead (Rio 600?) to assist in circulation, as well as making the final decision on lighting Orbit (4 x 65w , 2 moonlights) or ahsupply (4 x 55w or 6 x 55w). I'd like MH, but its a bit out of the price range right now. I may look on local ads to see if someone's getting rid of one. It would have to be pretty nice though, as this has to pass the "wife test" as well!
I'm also going to the SFBAAPS meet next weekend in Albany...my first one, actually. Afterwards, I'm going to see if I have enough time to go to Aqua Forest as I'm looking to get some wood or rocks as well as 4 x 9L aquasoil and 2 x 2L powersand-S.
More to come!
-Ryan


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

Go with a Tek 4x54w setup. =P T5 bulbs are cheaper to swap out, anyways. A tad more efficient than PC bulbs too. Cost might be a factor though.

I'm back in Sacramento next weekend too, maybe I'll see you at the sfbaaps meet! Not sure how I'll get there though,


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

I'm considering it. But, of course, price is an issue too. That's what's keeping me from going all-out on MH. I'm also not sure I want a hood either. I've seen some people's tanks without one and it looks nice and sure would make it easier for routine maintenance. That's why I'm considering the Orbit. For $252 on bigal's I can get a 4x65w w/ fan and 2 moonlights, plus 2 tee-shirts and a keychain or something...It's pretty much everything in one. Yes, I agree with the PCs being a little less efficient than T-5's, but I know it would work out just fine. I have PC's on my 20g and it grows *most* plants very well. Another things I might mention is ....this is NEW grounds for me! The largest planted tank I've done up until now is my current 20H. The 90g will use pretty much the same equipment, but on a larger scale. I have a 9w turbo twist that will be incorporated, as well as full pressurized Co2 w/ JBJ regulator, needle valve, bubble counter and a 10lb Co2 tank. I also have a
Co2 reactor that I *could* use, but I lke the idea of trying a Rhinox 5000 for the fine mist bubbles. I'll probably update again after next weekend, when I'll hopefully be making a trek to AF!
-Ryan


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## caymandiver75 (Sep 5, 2006)

Looks like you are off to a good start. Looking forward to seeing your progress on the 90 gallon. My next tank I plan to get a 90 as well, so this will just be inspiration. 

BTW...What are you going to do with your huge Silver Dollars? I believe they are plant munchers.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

NONE of the current fish will stay in there. I'll be trading them all into the LFS for credit. I'll probably get pretty good credit as they're all good sized and healthy...Firemouth, Geophagus Balzami, Green Severum, 2 x "blue eye" cichlid, 3 x yoyo loach, chocolate pl*co, senegal bichir, 6 x silver dollar, Leoprinimus Fasciatus, Flying Fox, huge feeder goldfish. 
I have 6 rummynose tetras in my 20g and a couple ottos. I figure either one very large school or a couple of smaller (20-25) schools will be good in the end.


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## SPL-311 (Aug 7, 2006)

looks good so far! the effort you put into the hardware and keeping everything neat and clean really pays off down the road. 

What are you planning to use for a substrate? Hardscape?


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Substrate will be 4-9L bags of ADA aquasoil "Amazonia" with 2-2L bags of Powersand-S as a base.
Hardscape? Not really sure yet. It all depends on what I decide on by my own thoughts and formulations in my head and when I actually go to Aqua Forest and see their selection of rock and wood. 
A few attractive, strategically placed rocks would look great in a tank with a nice foreground and groupings of stem plants in the mid/background, or a few nice pieces of wood may look good if placed correctly and attached with java fern, moss, etc. I'm not really sure at this point. I'll have to keep you in suspense!


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## kzr750r1 (Jun 8, 2004)

Get the 4x Tek light and suspend it with the cable hanger. The best part is moving the lamp up and out of the way when needed, besides looking bad ass. I did go ahead and suspend mine from the living room ceiling. To me it looks cleaner than having a frame suspending the light over the tank.

All depends on your needs there are endless options.
These guys have a good selection and looks like they are providing GE bulbs right now for the 6500K range. Specialty Lighting at Specialty-Lights: Professional Lighting, Facilities Lighting, Specialty Light, Unique Lighting Systems
I picked up mine a couple of years ago from them, good folks.

What kept me from going PC was every fixture used fans to keep cool. Fans = Noise. However little it's still white noise I can do without.

Aside from the Tek going through it's heat cycle it's silent.
Sounds like a set of headers cooling down after some hard running.

What ever you do go topless.

Looking back on that tank you may want to look at HQI since you are on the tall side of things. There are fixtures that have two T5 and two HQI in them. Problem is once you go that route it's big money as your probably aware. 

Peace,
Sean


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Well, are you happy with the 2 x 54w on your 55g? My 90g is only 8"(I think) taller @ 24". Anyway, I have a thread in the lighting section as I'm going to be getting T-5 Teks, but I'm just trying to decide whether to get the retrofit and build or buy a canopy to put it in, or buy the fixture and cable ties to hand it from the ceiling...http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/lighting/39814-buying-t-5-few-questions.html
I like the second idea best, but not sure how strong it would be, etc. as our ceiling is basically textured sheetrock w/ that "popcorn" crap. I'll need to find a stud I guess. I had a real joy of a time doing that when I installed our garage door opener (sarcasm). 

Sunday, I went to Aqua Forest after the SBAAPS meet (first time for both) and I was impressed. Immediately upon walking in, I was floored with the nice tank set ups and the variety of plant and fish species(moreso the plants). I stuck to what I was there to buy --- Aquasoil, powersand and hardscape material(wood or rock). 
I ended up getting five 9L bags of ADA Aquasoil "Amazonia", one 2L bag of Powersand - S and four pretty nice pieces of ADA 'old black wood'...would have bought another piece or two, but its pricey stuff. Well worth it though, as it doesn't need to be boiled and it looks real nice. The guys at AquaForest were top notch in their treating of customers  They got a dolly and carted everything out to the car. I didn't have to carry anything. They also threw in an ADA calendar and the ADA catalog ($22 total value). I was pleased.

What's next?
Next week I'm off work and will be draining the 90g, taking all the fish to the LFS for trade-in(bichir, silver dollars, firemouth, severum, etc) and working on the electrical and mechanical workings of this new set up. I'll get the hardscape layed out and maybe, if the lights come in, I'll get it planted...or at least ready. Here are some pics of the goodies from AF:


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## Nightshop (May 12, 2006)

I was up there yesterday to purchase some aquasoil, they gave me the catalog and calender aswell =] Nice people there!


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## kzr750r1 (Jun 8, 2004)

Well Ryan your one up on me. I have not made a meeting yet. AF rules. Even tops Albany IMO but I had several kids and my wife in tow when we visited.

Glad to see you chose a six bulb unit. You could have gone with a four and regret is (like I) for not going big in the first place. I still pine for a four bulb unit over my 55 for some more flexibility.

Keep up the good work.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

*12/28/06 Update*

Well folks, things are progressing...slowly, but indeed they are 
I trust everyone's Christmas was nice...or Hanukkah ,etc (sorry if misspelling)

First off, the Tek lights came in today (6 x 54w T-5)....It looks so nice! Plus, I bought it off an Ebay store for $45 cheaper than the retail site. My wife even gawked at the fixture and seems pleased. The two 54w 10,000k bulbs came in from DRs F&S today. I'm still waiting on four 54w 6500k bulbs that should come in a day or two. I also ordered some doo-hickeys from BigAl's (dechlorinator, extra filter tubes, ball valves for controlling water flow) and a Rhinox 5000 with 8 ft of clippard Co2 tubing.

Yesterday, I made a trip to Lowe's and bought two 10 ft 1/2" conduit bars for the lighting contraption....They barely fit in my car! Well, to be exact,, I had to hang it about a foot out of the passenger's side window. LOL. Good thing it wasn't too far from my house. I also picked up assorted screws, couplings and three grounded outdoor light timers that were on clearance for $2.50/ea (reg. $10). They are covered and can have up to like 24 programs at once. 

I drained the 90g yesterday as well and took the fish to the LFS for....get this - $160 store credit! Yeah, I was surprised too. That should cover most or all of the fish I'll be getting once this is up-and-running. My wife was browsing around the store with me and said that she'd like me to get Angelfish. I actually think that they may be a good choice, but we'll see. I also wanted to get two or three schools of smaller fish, so I'll need to be sure that they won't get eaten...Anyway, the tank is EMPTY. I scooped all sand and crushed coral out and the Eheim 2026 is dismantled for a good cleaning. I have a lot of work ahead of me and will be doing as much as I can. I'll try to get some pictures posted for those who care to follow along.
-Ryan


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Here's a picture of the tank as it sits now. The driftwood is just in there 'cause I was messing around with arrangements. It will obviously be coming out when the substrate goes in. Heck, I still need to clean the inside of the glass as well. There's some brown algae that will need to be wiped off.










Here's what it looks like under the stand. Ahhhh the possibilities!









check out this outdoor, covered timer I picked up on a xmas clearance shelf at Lowe's for $2.50/ea. I had to buy 3.









Here's the Tek-light (6x54w T-5 HO) fixture that arrived today. Now, I just need to get this conduit bar-contraption hooked up.


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## danepatrick (Jul 17, 2006)

i'm anticipating what it all will look like! keep us posted!


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## mrbelvedere (Nov 15, 2005)

Have you given any thought to what 'scape, plant selection, or fish stocking?


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## Nightshop (May 12, 2006)

Wow, this is looking great. Your equipment choice is excellent. But why so little powersand?


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Going to Lowes!


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## ianmoede (Oct 1, 2004)

Nightshop said:


> Wow, this is looking great. Your equipment choice is excellent. But why so little powersand?


From what i've understood its purely supplemental. I've been perfectly happy just using aquasoil. And the tek's of course


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## kzr750r1 (Jun 8, 2004)

Great deal on the timers. Lucky man. Thanks for the heads up. That is exactly what I need to finish off controlling my current setup.

The 2026 is a nice filter but you may need more. You do at least have the room for a 2126 in the stand with the 2026.

Nice clean slate. Have fun and keep us posted.


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## Betowess (Dec 9, 2004)

I like your stand. Did you make that yourself? If you are hanging the Tek from the ceiling joists, you might have to move the tank/stand a little to get it perfect, so ( I imagine you know this) be sure to hang the light first. At least that is how it went with mine. The Griplock hanger system does kick A.


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## ianmoede (Oct 1, 2004)

I've been a little less than satisfied with the sunlight systems hangers. The 2 issues i have are that you have to tie a knot holding the bracket that holds up the light, not super steady. And also, it has clicks on the way up, meaning you cant raise it to just any old height, it has to be a preset height. Judos on the griplock, i may be getting some in the near future.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

mrbelvedere: I'll probably go with something fairly simple. It will be my own style I guess, kind of a mix between dutch and amano scapes. I know for certain that I'll have blyxa japonica, ludwigia gladulosa, ludwigia brevipes, rotala sp. green and for foreground...either HC or glosso. As for slower growers for the wood, I'll probably use java fern "narrow leaf", moss(xmas moss?), as well as anubias barteri 'Coffefolia" which I already have. Fauna? Decent-sized schools(20-25) of rummynose tetras and maybe either cardinal tetras or harlequin rasboras. I'll also have a bunch of ottos and a school of cory cats. My wife wants me to get some angelfish, so we'll see 

Nightshop: Why so little powersand? Well, originally, I was going to get 2 or 3 bags of it and 4 bags of AS, but decided to go 1 and 5. Someone in my club was suggesting this as just a small "base" foundation, but not to be overused -- mainly b/c it has a greater chance of getting mixed with the AS and also b/c many people use just AS alone and it works fine. I just wanted to add a little extra "umppph" (yes, that's a technical term).

kzr750r1: Yes, I agree that the 2026 may be a little underpowered for this tank. I'll have to see how things go. Since it was previously a fish-only tank, I had an Emperor 400 (HOB w/ bio-wheels) as well, but won't be using that as I'm afraid of too much surface agitation, etc... If I feel that I need more filtration down the line, I'll look into adding something...

Betowess: I bought the stand as unfinished wood from a LFS over a year ago and stained it myself. I used Mohagany stain to try and match our furniture, which is mostly darker wood. I'm not hanging the light from the ceiling as my wife would blow a gasket if I drilled any holes  I'm using conduit bars, which will be attached to the back of the stand and the light will hang from that. I've seen it done on tanks and it looks real slick.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

*Update 1-3-07*

Just a quick update:
Monday night and Tuesday I worked on finishing up the electrical workings of the tank(mostly) and started with getting the Tek-lights set up. Here are a few pictures that I snapped.

outlet converted to GFCI.









Back of tank, showing U-brackets for conduit bars(for lighting) and wireing harness (red plastic piece), as well as the U-bars with one side open which will be used for filter tubes.









Top part of tank w/ conduit bars (pay no attention that the left side is higher - that is an easy adjustment).









Full shot of tank w/ conduit bars mounted:









Tek strip light with all six T-5 bulbs installed. I turned it on and....wow! I think this rivals the brightness of the sun. lol.









I finished up a couple things underneath the tank that I'll take a quick picture of when I get a chance. ALSO, I poured the substrate into the tank today and have a preliminary driftwood arrangement. I'll post a few different hardscapes to see what you thinks look good as well. This is by far the largest project I've ever tackled in the aquarium hobby. More to come!
-Ryan


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

*update 1-4-07*

Ok, almost done!
The ball valves and filter hose came in the mail today, so I finished hooking the filtration system up. Tell me what you think. The kinks really bother me. I'm not quite sure what to do about them. I may use newer hose or get some of that flexible tubing from the hardware store if it'll fit into 5/8" nipples.

Here's the left side with a powerstrip and some neatly tied up wires:









Here's the center area, so you can see the output from the filter going into the heater and UV, in that order:









Here's the right side with everything as neat and complete as I can make it:










Co2 you ask??? That will go on the left side of the stand, but it still being used on my 20g, to keep the plants growing until they're ready to be moved over :icon_cool 

Now I just need to finish the hanging system for the Tek lights and then figure out a hardscape!

-Ryan


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## retoid (Jan 2, 2007)

i wnat to see a shot of the tank with the light on


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Hopefully this weekend I'll figure out a means of which to hang the fixture from the conduit bars. Chain, cord or whatever it's gonna be.


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## Betowess (Dec 9, 2004)

Looking good! You could still use the griplock hangers from the conduit. You would have to drill a very small hole big enough for the wire to go thru. The conduit would stop at the nut end. Very clean, but not too cheap. But it makes raising up/adjusting the lights a breeze for cleaning and such. You just wouldn't use the part of the kit which mounts on the ceiling.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Are you referring to this?
Buy Cable Hanger System for Tek Light & Maristar Aquarium & Grow Lights
It's $33 + shipping, but it looks to be a pretty good solution if the chain doesn't work. Certainly cleaner looking and easier to use.


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## Betowess (Dec 9, 2004)

Yeah, that is it. It looks different on the outside from the one they use to sell at Reefgeek, but that is the one from Sunlight Supply who makes the Tek. Sunlight use to get the hardware for this from Griplock systems... Unless Sunlight supply quit using the Griplock hanger (and I don't think they have), you can easily raise and lower the light on some stainless steel "airline" wire. It has a little spring button on the top of the part that screws into the center threaded hole on the Tek light. They are really a sweet way to hang a light with the ability to move them up and down effortlessly. Galleries and museums use the "Grip lock" system because it is so clean and unobtrusive. Here is a link to the Griplock components that TEK (Sunlight Supply) use to and may still use for this hanger. HTH. bob
GRIPLOCK Cable Suspension System


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Ok, got everything hooked up tonight, lights finished and mounted. Once it looked like everything was assembled, I got several "rag" towels and a bucket (just in case of a leakage problem) and filled it up. No leaks whatsoever and thanks to my wife's help, I managed to get a pretty good, adjustable lighting hanging device using just a chain and eye bolts. Well, see for yourself...











Here's another shot before I added water:









I'm going to simply let it run for a couple days and watch the ph. I'll plan on moving the Co2 system over as soon as the Rhinox 2000 and Co2 tubing get here. I've never tried these ADA-like diffusers before (or any, really), so I'm very skeptical. I had good Co2 levels in my 20g with a PVC reactor I made. If this doesn't work out, I'm hooking that up. I'm on the home stretch now!

-Ryan


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## Nightshop (May 12, 2006)

Looking good!


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

Pretty good start Ryan, You will need to make sure you get those kinks out of the lines and I know you will not want to hear this but the Rhinox 2000 will not be enough for a 75 you will need the 5k for that.
Looking forward to the updates on finalization.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Oops, did I say Rhinox 2000? I actually have a Rhinox 5000 coming.
As for the kinks, those are all gone, thanks to some moving stuff around and usage of zip-ties. The filter has been running since last night and all seems well (no leaks). I can hook up Co2 as soon as the diffuser and tubing come in the mail....probably Mon or Tues.


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## the underlord (Jan 10, 2007)

Just wanted to say thanks so much for making this mini "how-to". This is really going to be key in the planning and development of my planted 60g, thumbsup!
-kevin.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

***1/11/07 Update***

Well, I have pretty much everything I need now and the tank has been running for almost a week now. It has been lightly planted for a couple days now, so I've been dosing a little bit of No3 and Po4 although it doesn't have the Co2 hooked up yet, so I've just been running the 2x54w light for ~8 hrs and all of them come on for about 2 hrs in the afternoon. I'll change this a little as soon as Co2 is working.

Good news. The Rhinox 5000 came today and looks great. It's also thicker and of stronger glass quality than I expected. I think this will work out nicely. 









**Filtration too low with just one Eheim 2026 running on a 90g? Yeah, I know. I just ordered a Rena Filstar XP3 last night, so that should arrive sometime next week. In the meantime, I'm going to borrow the dinky AC powerhead from my 20g. It's not much, but it's better than nothing. The 2026 and XP3 should provide enough flow, but just in case, I also ordered a Rio 600 powerhead. Cheap but probably works good enough. Here's a picture of my 20H as it is now, before the massacre. I will be taking most plants out of here to get the 90g started. After the fish move over, this tank is coming down. It's old and scratched, plus I have a brand new 25g in the garage(same footprint). Not sure what I'm going to do with it yet. Shrimp breeding tank for the large tank? Pay no attention to the gsa.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

***1/11/07 Update** (Cont.)*

Here's the 90g as it sits now, before I start working. I'm hooking up the Co2, adding a powerhead to help circulate and PLANTING. I have the rest of the plants in my 20g, one gallon-sized bag of plants in the refrigerator and I also went to the LFS and bought some of their better looking plants. I didn't pay anything, since I just used some of the credit from my fish trade-in. I got:
2x large anubias barteri
1x large anubias nana
1 handful of riccia (never seen it at a LFS before. It was pristine quality)
2x java fern
a few plantlets of e. tenellus
red foxtail. i think its myriophyllum aquaticum or similar
crypotocoryne sp (I think it's willisii 'lucens')

Here is the tank as it is right now. I'll update again when it's finished. You'll see a lot of stem plants, but my aim is to remove some of them when the tank settles. I'll probably get a carpeting plant...not sure what it will be yet. I've had success with ET and glosso, but not really HC. Granted, this is a different tank. If I remember correctly, it likes aquasoil. I have fluorite in my other tank.









Again, more close up.


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## mr.sandman (Nov 7, 2006)

I have a question what did you do with the substrate that are floating when you were adding water??


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## Nightshop (May 12, 2006)

Usually you can just "tap" floating aquasoil grains and they sink.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

That's exactly what I did. I actually didn't expect that as it was my first time using aquasoil.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

***1/15/07 Update***

So far, so good. I bought a few plants at the LFS (2 anubias barteri's, in particular) and moved things around a little bit yesterday. Co2 has been running, but I don't think its high enough yet. When I tested the ph (before Co2), it was ~6.4 due only to the wood and aquasoil. I need to make one of those drop checkers and/or see how the plants do in the next couple days.
Here's a few pictures I took today. I have a Rena XP3 coming to go with the 2026, but I stuck an Emperor 400 on the side yesterday to help clear it up in there. Times like this make me wish I had a diatom filter! It's better than it was though...

Plants laid out in the beginning:









Starting the planting:









The tank today (still a little cloudy):









Here's a close up of a few plants. Does anyone know what the thin, spider looking plants are in the middle?









-Ryan


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

***Update***

1-22-07 update:

The Rena XP3 came on Friday and I hooked it up without any issues. It's not NEARLY as loud as some reviews were leading me to believe. It's not as quiet as the Eheim, but all I really hear is trickling water inside the filter. It's not even noticable under the stand with the doors shut, etc.

I also added the Rio 600 powerhead, along with my small Aquaclear 60 powerhead. This ended up being too much flow, so I removed the AC ph and may end up taking out the Rio ph as well. I was under the impression that I would need one to place above the Rhinox diffuser, in order to push the bubbles around. I'm starting to think, after reading other people's journals, that this isn't necessary if you have good current. I'm thinking that the Eheim 2026 and Rena XP3 may be enough by themselves. That is what I'll be trying when I do a water change/maintenance later tonight.

Here's a picture taken on Friday 1/19/07 after I finished hooking up the XP3:










The plants seem to be slowly recovering, although its still too soon to really tell. The good thing is, the water is a lot less cloudy (scroll up to compare with past picture).

Ah, and we can't forget my canine cheering squad. I think I caught him in the middle of a yawn or licking his lips.
Meet Ziggy, the German Shorthair (good hunting dog too):











-Ryan


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

*Help! Algae attacks!*

Ok, I started to notice this last night and tonight its even worse. There is a good amount of gsa on the glass, as well as on some of the leaves and wood. I also think that gw may be developing. Previously, I was running 4x54w for ~12 hrs and 4-5 hrs of that was all 6x54w. Today, I just ran the 4x54w for 12 hrs ONLY. I guess I should back off of the lighting until the plants grow in more? I have some plants in my 20g that were leftovers, but I can move them over (some Moneywort, mayaca and hydrocotyle). I know the water flow is sufficient, although Co2 is a BIG guessing game right now. Currently, I have it running around 4-5 bubbles/sec. Since the aquasoil affects the ph, I can't even get a ballpark reading, so plants (and algae) are the only indicators. My guess is Co2 is too low.
How should I fix it? Simply turn up the needle valve? Or, consider an alternate way of injecting it? Or something else?

Here's a few pictures. Maybe this will help give you a better idea of what I'm looking at here:

Full tank on Monday, 1/22/07:









Close-up of gsa on hydrocotyle:









Close-up of Rhinox 5000 w/ Rio 600:









Similar to previous, but take a look at the algae-covered wood:









Hairgrass & HC seem to be doing ok. I'm sure if I ignored this for another day or two, that might change. Hairgrass is spreading a bit, but HC has yet to do so (but its not doing poorly either):









This is what I've been dosing:
Not much 

I dosed about 30-35 mL of CSB+B solution a few days ago. I was told that with AS, you don't need to dose. I'm not sure if my situation is different since lighting is fairly high, or if Co2 is still the culprit.

What say you??
Up the Co2 and keep everything else the same? Or something else?

-Ryan


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## sNApple (Nov 6, 2005)

Maybe turn your lights down from 12 hours to say 9 hours, Get some ottos, and amanos too


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I'll down it to 9 hrs and I'll be going near a place that sells amanos on Saturday. Closest place to here = 1 1/2 hrs


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## kzr750r1 (Jun 8, 2004)

So with the Rena added do you still need the Rio? Could it be causing the CO2 to disperse a bit faster with additional surface movement?

I've kind of followed the rule of thumb of pointing the spray bars down a bit. That is unless there is some surface scum than needs churning.

I agree you should drop back in the light a bit and go easy on the ferts. Giver hell with CO2 and do the recommended WC with new AS. You'll get through this. In all this is a nice start!


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## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

Yeah! Another fellow money-wort lover! Bacopas 4ever!! XD


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

I don't think I really need the Rio. It's probably just paranoia. The XP3 and Eheim seem to provide a pretty good flow. I've just been slightly *under* the mark before and ended up with a lot of detritus and crap like that.
Hehe, yeah, you should have seen my bush of moneywort in my 20H before moving it over here. I actually didn't even move all of it over. It grows fast and helps keep algae in check. The more you trim it, the bushier it gets.

Well, I finished a water change tonight. I was pleased to see a lot of new growth on most plants, after taking a closer look, rearranging, etc.
The HM, blyxa, rotala macandra, didplis diandre and rotala sp. 'green', all of which were doing poorly a week or two ago, are bouncing back with nice new growth. I'll up the Co2, turn off the Rio and cut the light down to 4x54w for 9 hrs. I'll give it a week or so to see how things are going.

-Ryan


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## Georgiadawgger (Apr 23, 2004)

I think its a good start. I too, agree that you should tone the lights down a bit...or cram more plants in there. You need more plants and can't just wait for the current ones to grow in. If you plant heavy from now (the beginning)...in a few weeks everything should be stable enough for you to take some of the "junk" plants out and scape it to your liking. 

As far as the rio...probably not needed. I suppose the purpose is to disperse the co2? Why not move one of the spraybars to it goes back-to-front and put the diffuser mid-way down the front corner of the glass? This may provide better distribution...and I would also pump up the gas as well. 

This has nice potential! :smile:


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## fresh_lynny (Mar 9, 2006)

lower photoperiod......Ziggy is a cutie.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

*1-25-07*

Just a quick update...

Man! ADA AS is unbelievable! You simply don't know how good this stuff is until you try another substrate and then switch to ADA and note the difference. As far as I'm concerned, its well worth it. 
Since the last update, I bumped up the Co2 and cut the lighting down. Now, I have 4 x 54w for 9 hrs a day. Once things start to grow in a little, I'll probably work the other 2 x 54w (10,000k) bulbs in. Maybe something like:
2 x 54w (10,000k) - 1 hr (108w)
4 x 54w (6500k) - 3 hrs (216w)
6 x 54w (6500k, 10,000k) - 2 hrs (324w)
4 x 54w (6500k) - 3 hrs (216w)
2 x 54w (10,000k) - 1 hr (108w)

I still have the Rio in the tank, but its not on and I may end up taking it out completely. The plant growth is crazy. I thought my HM was dead. I was down to a single 1-2" ratty-looking stem and now it has all kinds of new growth that I've been trimming and re-planting. The blyxa is coming out nice and green-ish. My cabomba is green and bushy. It was yellow and leggy in fluorite, even thought I was dosing recommended amounts, Co2, etc... I also received some crypts from someone yesterday and added those. It was mostly wilisii 'lucens', but there were also a couple wendtii 'red' and two others of which I'm still looking for an ID. I'm also dosing the recommended levels, as I don't want to run into deficiencies. I'm doing frequent water changes anyway, so building up to dangerous levels isn't really an issue either. 

Tonight I'll be adding an army of ottos and perhaps either some harlequin rasboras or rummynose tetras....I also like phantom tetras and cardinal tetras. Black neons are also kind of neat. I'm going to go with a hardier species to start though....
Expect an update with pics in the next day or two!

-Ryan


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Here are a couple pics. It's kind of hard to tell from the photos, but it's really on the upswing now, it seems. I bought a couple fish today. The water is still isn't crystal clear, but its better than it was.
harlequin rasbora x 18
otocinclus x 13










Side shot:









closeup -- blyxa spreading, HM doing well. Small HC sprig on the side. (sorry, can't focus camera too well)


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

*2/1/07 -- beating algae!*

Here's some new pics that I snapped tonight. The algae is going away. I still get a tiny bit of gsa on the glass and some slimy green algae on leaves of a couple plants, but its much better now. Plants seem to be doing pretty well too. (scroll up to compare with growth from just one week ago)

Full tank:









close-up of the hill on right side. 









So, what do you think?


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## adamhaulena (Oct 4, 2006)

Starting to fill out nicely. Looks good.

Adam


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

cool tank!


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## ccLansman (Jan 30, 2007)

great looking tank, is the uv filter a good idea when running a hevily planted tank? I am trying to get my first one going and am trying to see what people think..

BTW.. nice tank!


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## fresh_lynny (Mar 9, 2006)

Ringram looking good. You can beat that algae~!!

CC...yes you can run a UV 24/7 in a planted tank...I do


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## bharada (Mar 5, 2004)

Ryan,
Looking good. 

I just hope there's still a demand for Blyxa japonica when the inevitable growth explosion hits your tank. Ian may have flooded the market with it after our last meet. :icon_lol:


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## ccLansman (Jan 30, 2007)

i dont have any  ill take as much as you can give ..heheh


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## kzr750r1 (Jun 8, 2004)

Great start.

Funny, I just put my UVS back on. 

Your making me kick myself again for not buying a four bulb unit. :iamwithst One of these days.

In this case going big and allowing the flexibility means (for a high light system) your better off down the road...


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Yeah, that's exactly why I went with a 6 bulb...I was worried that 4 bulbs wouldn't enough enough for some, but I didn't want to run 6 all the time either. I can run the combinations 2, 4 or all 6. It's a nice system. I highly recommend the Tek lighting systems. Their top notch, both in look and functionality. I'm only running 4x54w for 9-10 hrs right now. I used 6 bulbs at first and was hitting algae problems. I'd like to at least run them all for a couple hours, eventually. I have some plants that will show red highlights more if I did a short "burst" every day, I'm sure. But I'm more interested in growth and algae-free right now 
The UVS is running 24x7. Mine's the 9w model. I seem to remember slower/faster flow rates depending on what you're trying to kill (parasites, algae). I can't quite remember though. Mine is being run through my 2026, which is also hooked up to the hydor and lots of media. lol. The rated ~250 gph probably becomes 175-200 tops.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

***2/10/07 Update***

Added some fish today.
4 more harlequin rasboras, bringing the total to 22.
6 cardinal tetras
3 rummynose tetras (moved over from 20g)

It's been almost a month since it was fully planted and Co2 hooked up, etc.
I did a water change and trim last night. I have some narrow leaf java fern coming and I'd like to get some cherry red shrimp in the near future. We'll see. I haven't had much luck with shrimp in the past.

I removed a few plants -- lilaeopolis brasiliensis (all but 1 strand).
The Wisteria also went bye bye, as did some of the other stem plants. The Moneywort will eventually completely go probably. I kind of like how the hairgrass is filling in on the right side with the ever-growing blyxa. 

Took a few pictures:

Full tank shot









sag and crpyts









HC -- attempting to spread (sorry for the slight blurriness)









blyxa japonica - This seemingly gets bigger every day. Several new plantlets too.









Here's a nice little bush I'm forming with a few stem plants.









-Ryan


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## Nightshop (May 12, 2006)

Ringram, the tank is looking great!

One question, did your blyxa melt at all before it took off?

Take a look at my 50 gallon journal, I'm growing my blyxa in nearly identical conditions yet after one week mine has shown little signs of growing, mostly melting.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Yes, the blyxa melted a little at first. I used to have it in my 20g that has high light and they were VERY red, but were not real bushy at all(see earlier in this thread). They melted a little when I first moved them over here, but they have since taken off.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Just wanted to say that your tank looks great! It looks as if you beat that algae!


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

hmm Nightshop. Yes, our setups are very similar in terms of aquasoil, Rhinox 5000 and T5's...But did I read that right? You have PCs, but just 2x30w of T5s? In any case, I didn't have the best luck with blyxa in my other tank that had PCs...but it also didn't have aquasoil. Not sure why yours isn't growing really. Maybe wait it out a bit? I don't dose much either. micros once or twice a week and macros sometimes at water change, which has been every 2-3 days actually. The two canisters provide a nice flow rate. I wonder if the current makes it happy? I can't see it as a lack of nutrients, as we both have AS and I don't dose much. For the record, I only use 4x54w most of the time (10-11 hrs) with all of them on for only an hour or two.

*Edit* Nightshop - If it's only been one week, you just need to wait longer. Mine were still in the melting process 1-2 weeks after planting. Then, once they recovered, they started filling out pretty fast.


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## caymandiver75 (Sep 5, 2006)

How are you dispersing CO2 in the tank? I see you have the Rhinox 5000 and in some previous photos you had a pump sitting above the 5000 to push the CO2 around. Did you decide to remove it? Find it not effective? Reason I ask is that I just ordered the Rhinox 2000 and an eheim water pump to sit above it.

BTW...Beautiful tank. :thumbsup:


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

*dying cardinals*

I removed the powerhead as it seemed like too much flow when it was running. The spraybar seems to move it around enough. Even the bubbles that get to the surface don't necessarily escape, since the surface moves around, but doesn't ripple much. Co2 levels seem to be good as the plants indicate 

R.I.P. Of the 6 cardinal tetras I bought yesterday, I woke up this morning to find one dead and another MIA. I can only find 4 of the 6. I've never kept cardinals before, but I acclimated them for about an hour, pouring water into the bag. When they all came out (rasboras and rummynoses also), no one seemed pale or stressed and were swimming around. Not sure the reason for the death(s). The bad news is, the place I bought them from has NO fish guarantee. But, in this store's defense, its one of the best (or the best) LFS I've been in and the prices for some are half of what I've seen elsewhere. Oh well, I'll see if the others hang in there. One other thing to note is that they are currently building a 4500g tank that will sit in the center of the store. It looks to be a saltwater tank though.

*Edit* Found another cardinal body. 2 /6 are dead. I'm going to buy more, but from a place w/ a guarantee, even if they're $1 more.


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## Nightshop (May 12, 2006)

I have no expierence with Cardinal's, but if they're anything like Neon's in their prefered parameters, my neon's can only survive in LOW gH's.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

My Kh/Gh is around 3 or 4. I say that b/c that's what it was last time I checked it, which was maybe a month ago.
All of the other fish are still doing fine, including the remaining 4 cardinals. I also added 4 cory cats yesterday (Sunday 2/11) -- 3 sterbai(?) and 1 albino.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

*RIP Rummynose tetras*

Boo! I found all 3 rummynose tetras that I moved over on Sunday DEAD last night. What the hell? I know that the tank is healthy and they were acclimated long enough (~1 hr). I know that rummys and cards are sensitive, but how much so? Maybe I'll try getting some more this weekend. Or maybe I'll just get cardinals and something else (black neons? phantom tetras?) and not replace the rummynoses.
Anyone else have issues with fish dying when moving them around? I've heard of a drip method, but is this overkill?


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## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

Just seeing someone with such a nice group of Bacopa monnieri makes me happy


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Thanks Steven. The left part of the moneywort group was removed last night and mailed to another aquarist on this forum, but I didn't want to move too much at once, as the plant mass decreased significantly with just the loss of that small part. It enabled me to give more open swimming space in the middle region and move the rotala sp. 'green' to the back(middle-right) area.


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## kzr750r1 (Jun 8, 2004)

ringram said:


> Boo! I found all 3 rummynose tetras that I moved over on Sunday DEAD last night. What the hell? I know that the tank is healthy and they were acclimated long enough (~1 hr). I know that rummys and cards are sensitive, but how much so? Maybe I'll try getting some more this weekend. Or maybe I'll just get cardinals and something else (black neons? phantom tetras?) and not replace the rummynoses.
> Anyone else have issues with fish dying when moving them around? I've heard of a drip method, but is this overkill?


I've had similar issues acclimating Cards. Let me find my old post about this very issue. Main thing is set up temp tank with No CO2 so they have time to get used to your water. Then after several weeks transition with the drip method to your CO2 tank... Slow and go is the best for these guys.

Found it: Some good advice from Wö£fëñxXx
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/water-parameters/33765-old-tank-new-bulbs.html


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Thanks for that reply kzr750r1 
I see that Wolfen is saying to acclimate cards to your water for 2-3 weeks in another tank. That is *possible*, but I only have one other tank but it is coming down to be replaced by a 25g that I'll hopefully be breeding shrimp in. Not sure it would be a good idea to use that as a QT tank as well. 4 / 6 of the cards are still alive and well. All 22 of the rasboras are alive and kicking (they're obviously much more hardy). I'd like to bump my cardinal population up to around 10-12, so maybe I'll try what he said. Seems like a looooong time to acclimate though.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

*2/19 update*

Just a quick update. I added some narrow leaf java fern on Friday and bought a couple new fish on Saturday. The total fauna is now:

harlequin rasbora - 22
cardinal tetra - 8
otocinclus - 15
Corydoras schwartzi - 3
Corydoras aeneus (albino/bronze cory) - 3

I really need to start thinking about whether I want hairgrass OR HM on the right side. They'll both be totally inter-twined in another week or so. The HC is starting to spread on the left side. Can't wait until it has more coverage. The sagittaria in front of the driftwood is getting pretty crazy too.
It'll definately be time for another trim soon.


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## hooha (Mar 14, 2004)

If you can keep the HM growing horizontally I would go for that....provides more contrast to the blyxa in the middle right....

Nice layout, it will be interesting to see which stem plants 'fit' into your trimming schedule though - in a week looks like you're ready for another trim


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## kzr750r1 (Jun 8, 2004)

ringram said:


> Thanks for that reply kzr750r1
> I see that Wolfen is saying to acclimate cards to your water for 2-3 weeks in another tank. That is *possible*, but I only have one other tank but it is coming down to be replaced by a 25g that I'll hopefully be breeding shrimp in. Not sure it would be a good idea to use that as a QT tank as well. 4 / 6 of the cards are still alive and well. All 22 of the rasboras are alive and kicking (they're obviously much more hardy). I'd like to bump my cardinal population up to around 10-12, so maybe I'll try what he said. Seems like a looooong time to acclimate though.


Agreed it seems long but after killing most in weeks I'm going to wait and try his method next time. If there is a next time. 

Nice update. It looks great so far. I like the rasboras as a schooling fish and also have had better luck with them.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Based on what people are telling me about adding a few Rainbows, I think I may just stick with small non-aggressive schooling fish 
Maybe pick up some more of what I already have, plus perhaps another type. Black neons are interesting, lemon tetras, silver tip tetras, phantom tetras are all possibilities. Just a small school of 10 or so.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

I had a few silver tip tetras and was very disappointed in them. They were aggressive towards each other and their schooling was largely limited to mad chases across the tank. I had only 6 of them, which might have been a problem. They managed to kill off each other so they only lasted a few months.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Thanks for letting me know. I may not want to chance having the same experience, so I'll eliminate that one. Rummynose tetras are nice, but I would need to acclimate and baby them for a long time. The three I moved over from my 20g died, despite my best efforts. Also, buenos aires tetras are neat, cherry barbs too.


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## PasD (Sep 2, 2006)

If you like cherry barbs, why not go with gelius barbs. They actually school and look much better than cherry barbs. You can find them at Albany aquaruim and aquaforest.


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## kzr750r1 (Jun 8, 2004)

PasD said:


> If you like cherry barbs, why not go with gelius barbs. They actually school and look much better than cherry barbs. You can find them at Albany aquaruim and aquaforest.


The best combo I had was eques pencil fish and the rasboras. They keep to themselves and create two distinct schools.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/fish/22743-pencil-id.html?highlight=Pencil+fish

Keeping it small is a rule I broke again recently with raising three of these guys.
http://www.plantedtank.net/fishprof...ted-Climbing-Perch-Ctenopoma-acutirostre/109/

Over time I beleve they stressed out the small fish I had and now they rule the tank. Aside from the betta that's in there with them.  Interestingly no wars between them.


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## tha_beeg (May 16, 2006)

tank looks great!! my only beef with it is the sagittaria that is blocking the view into the valley youve got goin on. it would give more depth in my eyes


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Yeah, it got out of hand in a hurry!
I actually trimmed last night and the bacopa caroliniana(left side) is gone. The sag is down to just a few strands and visability into the "cave" is much better. Everything else was just trimmed and shaped better.


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## Crash_171 (Jan 15, 2007)

I have to say, from that first picture to the last one is a BIG change. I'm impressed!:hihi:


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Yeah, I got the cichlid bug for a short time when I first set up this tank. After 8 months, I was bored with it and decided to go with plants


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

*2-28-07*

Moved a few things around and did a light trim. Everything is going well for the most part. I'm seeing curled leaves on the lobelia cardinalis and thought it might be a Potassium deficiency, so I dosed some K2So4 today and probably will do this 2-3x a week for now, to see if anything improves. I also turned the Co2 up a notch and physically removed some tufts of BBA/hair algae-type stuff on the driftwood and hairgrass. The anubias also has a little bit of gsa, so hopefully what I did will help.











Check out this little plant (sorry for slight blurriness) that's mixed in with the hairgrass. It's called _aldrovanda vesiculosa_, or Waterwheel plant (carnivorous plant). 










Collage of stem plants. Do you see the tuft of riccia?










Cave in middle/left area. Camera is down below substrate level, looking up.










Looking end-to-end from left side.










I like the way this is filling in. I just want the back to be covered and the hairgrass and HM to cover the substrate.









The blyxa's getting huge. I found another new plantlet floating in the tank today, so I replanted it with the rest of the mass. I'm not really happy with the left side of the tank right now. Not really sure what to do about it. I think I need to get rid of the stem plants and make a sloping hill of some sort for the HC to grow on.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

I'm still manually turning on/off the light timers and co2 timer EVERY DAY as I can't, for the life of me, get the timers working right. This resulted in a blackout(no light) on Saturday, Sunday and most of Monday (out of town). 
The timers don't have the traditional 2 pegs that other ones have, where you simply push them into the specific times you want it to turn on and off. This one has a "peg" at EVERY 30 minute(or so) interval, where its either pushed up or down. I know that "down" means "off" and "up" means "on", but it still won't work right. I set the current time as well as the times I wanted everything on/off (8am - 5pm), but when I came home around 4:30pm last week, the lights and Co2 were all off and they weren't even warm, leading me to believe it had been off all day. WTF!!??
I'm not sure if having it on from 8am-5pm means you need to have ONLY the pegs at 8am and 5pm pulled up, OR if you need ALL pegs between those times pulled up. The timers didn't really come with directions, but they were also $2.50/ea on clearance. I got what I paid for I guess.
I really don't want to remove them, as it will be a real PITA as they are screw mounted inside the stand and everything. But, I guess if I *have* to....
This is the only thing about the tank that really irks me right now. I'll have to experiment more with it and try to see if it actually doesn't work, or if I don't know how to use it. This is really something I need to figure out, as my wife and I will be gone this weekend and next week at funerals and we'll be taking a ~2 week trip this summer. If I need to buy new timers, I'll need to do so in the next couple days. Not that I really have the extra dough for that right now.


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

I know exactly how to deal with the problem. get the timers off the wall/stand, grab a sledgehammer or mallet, and gently, with only about 3/4 of your strenght, hit them, repeat until the timers are unregognizeable, and them get in your vehicle of choice and go to target or WM and buy a normal timer or two.

This method works well for releiving those irks and timing your system.
(One other thing. if you want the lights and co2 to go off at the same time, buy 1 timer and plug a powerstrip into it, then plug the lights and solenoid into the strip, thereby making both go off at the same time)


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Yeah, I guess I could plug them into the same timer, but I already had 2x54w on one timer and the other 4x54w on another timer. I wasn't sure I wanted either of those sharing a timer with the Co2, as I wasn't sure if either one would be on for the duration of the light period, as the Co2 will. 
Anyway, the sledgehammer/mallet idea is a valid one, but I'm going to see one more time if I can get it to work. If not, I feel like smashing them in a burlap bag and then "accidentally" spilling its contents as I walk into Lowe's to buy new ones. The timer that's on my shrimp tank(25g) is a timer that I've used for 2+ years and never had a problem. It's a different brand which was about $15-17 at Home Depot and I didn't want to spend $45-50 on three light timers, so I opted for the cheaper route. Big mistake. In fact, at the time, I thought I hit the jackpot when I found three timers for $7.50 (total).


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

yea, some timers just sick. if you really want to go pro, get the coralife power center. i have the dual and it never has failed yet. it has 3 different timer settings. you could run both lights at different times and the co2 with the digital one.


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## bharada (Mar 5, 2004)

Ryan, I have some timers from Lowes that have a click-peg for every 15 minutes. Of course, the position of the pegs is exacly opposite from what the direction state they should be to turn the timer off and on.

Anyway, I saw that one of the local Target stores was selling digital timer power strips for $10. Same price and specs as the ones sold at Lowes where the timer controls one bank of four outlets (all running the same program). The strip has an additional four, non-timed outlets.


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## kzr750r1 (Jun 8, 2004)

ringram said:


> Anyway, the sledgehammer/mallet idea is a valid one, but I'm going to see one more time if I can get it to work. If not, I feel like smashing them in a burlap bag and then "accidentally" spilling its contents as I walk into Lowe's to buy new ones.


Sorry you made me smile, this kind of stuff isn't funny but thanks anyway.

Smash them to bits, tell the manager they are defective and you want a refund.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Thanks for pointing that out Bill. I probably have the same one you do. I actually think its 15 min intervals like you mentioned, come to think of it.
I also remember when I set the timers last week and they didn't come on, the 2x54w came on at like 10 or 11:00 at night, whereas it should have been the morning. I'll double-check a.m./p.m. settings and try leaving the pegs *IN* at the times I want it to turn on. *OUT* for all other times. It seems counter-intuitive, but I've seen stranger things.
I'm not going to toss them just yet as they probably *work* to some degree, but they are just a very poor design. If I get it working, I'll leave it alone and forget about it.


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## Anthony (Jan 11, 2005)

If it's the same timers as mine you have to click all of them up for the total time you want them on. If you just clicked 8am and 5pm up then they probably came on for 15 minutes or half an hour at each interval and turned off.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Ok, thanks Anthony. I had a strong suspicion that's what was happening. I'll give it a try when I go home.

*Edit* Great. It appears that my 10lb Co2 tank which was just exchanged/refilled two weeks ago is empty. When I took the regulator off of the tank, it didn't seem very tight, so that was probably the problem right there. I'll be getting a refill tommorrow.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

*BBA and SAPS meeting -- 3/8/07 update*

Ok, got the Co2 tank hooked up. This time, I tighened the bejesus out of it with my vice grips and crescent wrench. The connection passed the soapy water test, so it should be ok.

A day or two later, I had to go out of town for four days and I didn't really have the timers right yet. I came back to......BBA! 
I had the 4x54w to come on with the Co2 for 9 hrs/day, but the Co2 may have been a little low due to "new tank" syndrome. Sometimes it takes a few times to get the bubble/sec set correctly. Plus, the tank lights didn't turn on when they were supposed to this morning, so it was on manual control for the day. What a pain.

Long story short, the Blyxa was almost completely covered in BBA, as was the hairgrass. The HM got it as did the Moneywort, but not quite as bad and I was able to just remove suspect pieces and there was still enough left with out it. The blyxa was trimmed to about 2" short, as it had it much worse. I think it'll recover though. 
The driftwood, as well, was covered in BBA and this very hard threadlike algae. It is dark green or black and is basically just course strands of thicker-than-hairlike threads. Not sure if its staghorn or thread algae. Don't really care, but I'm hoping more Co2 wil eliminate it, as it is the usual cause for algae.
The driftwood was removed from the tank and doused with H2O2, then soaked in a bucket containing water + H2O2 for about an hour or so. Afterwards, I scratched or brushed most of the algae off by hand. The tank was partially rescaped, but I didn't do much trimming...that will come in a few days most likely, as will some pictures. Co2 needle valve was turned up and lighting will be knocked down a notch. Maybe 8 hrs or so, until it's all gone.

I also attended the first SAPS (Sacramento Aquatic Plant Club) meeting last night and it went quite well. So, if you're in the Sacramento, CA area and want to check it out, go to http://intplantscaping.meetup.com/11/ and sign up.
There was a good turnout, considering a first meeting and all. Insight, thoughts, comments were all provided and thanks to Tom once again for his slideshow presentation.
I also ended up with a couple new (to me) plants to try.
Hemigraphis traian and some narrow leafed Echinodorus plant of which I can't remember the name.

Pictures to come in a few days.
-Ryan


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

*Update 3-14-07*

Well, I seem to be winning the battle with BBA and thread algae. The BBA is mostly gone after I cut back the leaves of blyxa, java ferns and a few other plants. I also bought 7 SAEs on Saturday to help in the effort. I did a big wc and trim on Sunday night and took a few pictures last night. As you can see, things are starting to fill in and take shape. The myriophyllum mattorgrossense is on the brink of being out of control...I'll need to hack that down this weekend. The hairgrass was almost all lost to BBA, but I think I like it better as an accent plant. The HC and HM are both doing well and I tried to blend them into the same foreground area. I also have a nice big mat of riccia floating and unsure what to do with next ;P
What do you think?

Full shot:









The hill on the right has HC now, instead of the hairgrass lawn:









The blyxa had to be chopped down due to BBA, but I'm sure it will recover. I separated new plantlets and reshaped the overall effect:









Looking down on the left side, at a wierd-tilted perspective:









Here's the right side of the tank:









-Ryan


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## fresh_lynny (Mar 9, 2006)

The changes are very effective. I like the balance now. Get that CO2 up and spot treat the BBA with some excel....you will get on top of it~


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

The only reason I haven't spot dosed the excel is b/c I'm worried about stressing the fish, particularly the cardinal tetras who are already rather delicate. Another thing....do most people spot dose with a turkey baster, or what?


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## bharada (Mar 5, 2004)

ringram said:


> Another thing....do most people spot dose with a turkey baster, or what?


Ryan, get a large syringe from Tap Plastics. I attach a length of rigid airline tubing to it for the hypodermic-from-he11 effect. :icon_lol:

The one I have setup can spot threat all the way to the bottom of my 120g without getting my fingers wet.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

I'm still not sure if I understand. So, is the purpose of the airline tubing to siphon the excel down into the area that you're basting, or is it to allow air to escape and more excel to be forced down the syringe?


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## bharada (Mar 5, 2004)

Ryan, the rigid airline, attached to the tip of the syringe, allows you to pin-point where you apply the Excel. The length of tubing attached to my syringe is about 18" long so I can reach down to the bottom of any of my tanks if needed.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

I see. Knowing my luck, I'll get everything hooked up and put it in the tank, only to watch the airline tubing come off. Did you secure it with anything in particular, or just heated it a bit and pushed it on the tip?


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## bharada (Mar 5, 2004)

I used an older syringe that I had cut part of the tip off of. I slipped a small piece of regular airline over the rigid tubing, then rammed it into the syringe tip. If I had used a new syringe I would have cut the tip only enough so that the rigid tube could be squeezed into it.

There woin't be a lot of back pressure so a tight friction fit will hold fine.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Neat gadget. I'll see what I have at home and try putting something together. You don't think that it will stress the fish, do you? I've heard that it's actually a bad, bad idea to OD excel. Doing so, I am told, can kill fish. Obviously it's working for you though, so I'm not going to question it :0)


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## bharada (Mar 5, 2004)

Ryan,
The danger is in the degree of ODing you do. In my 40g tank (with Cherry shrimp, Cardinal and Rummynose Tetras) I dose ~25ml a day. For your 90 I'd do no more than 60ml a day.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

I'll try that. Thanks Bill! I'm also going to make one of those handy-dandy drop checkers to make sure Co2 levels are sufficient, to prevent BBA from rearing its ugly head again.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

*Progress report*

It's been a while since I posted an update, so I decided to let you all know how things are going. The algae woes are almost non-existant. The staghorn and BBA are pretty much completely gone, if not *completely*. The new problem I faced was the exploding pond snail population. I now manually remove a good 20-25 snails every 3-4 days when I do a water change...it's getting better, but I also picked up four clown loaches (2" or so) to help out. 

I receieved a generous portion of Bolbitus heudelotti (thanks again you-know-who-you-are!) and have been busy the last two nights. I took all driftwood out of the tank and tied on the Bolbitus plus some xmas moss I recently acquired. I wasn't happy with the driftwood arrangement or the left side almost completely, so I changed it up a bit. I think you'll find the driftwood layout a bit more interesting and even "aggressive". I still have a few more things to plant and move around tonight, but I'll try to get something posted soon.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

***Update 3-28-07***

I ended up moving the mass of m. mattogrossense from the back left to the back right, but I thinned it out tremendously. I also thinned out and shaped the bacopa monnieri and bacopa sp. 'green'. I topped off a few HM stems from the right and started a new patch of it on the front left, where I decided to form a small hill, to give the sense of flowing. The HM patch on the left and the way I have shaped the one on the right, are attempts of tying together the collage of stem plants on the right with the ferns, wood and crypts of the left side....darker and a little more mysterious, perhaps. Here it is as it stands now:









Here is another, warmer picture:









Here is a close up of that stem grouping on the right side:









One of the albino corydorus cats foraging for food:









Look at this patch of blyxa. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite plants:









Looking from left end to right end:









Here's a closer shot of the driftwood assembly. It took a good two hours to tie all of that bolbitus and xmas moss onto the pieces of wood. There were about nine good-sized pieces with healthy rhizome. I also added a few plantlets of marselia sp. on the front left side, next to the crypt lucens.









fauna:
26 - harlequin rasbora
8 - cardinal tetras
5 - zebra danios
3 - albino corydorus
3 - schwartzii corydorus
7 - siamese algae eater
14 - otocinclus
3 - clown loach

snails = population shrinking!

One of my clown loaches is on the brink of dying I think. He started swimming in circles last night (ie, swim of death) when I was draining the tank, or thereabouts. It wouldn't be ph shock or temperature shock, because I hadn't started filling yet. I'm still not sure what caused it. He's lying on the bottom and twitching or moving every so often. He was active and seemingly healthy until last night. I've had him for 3 weeks or so. He's been like this for a day though, so maybe he'll pull through. doubtful though.

Once I get my cherry shrimp breeding in the 25g, I'd like to move some over here, periodically, until I get a good population in here. That's one of my goals at least.

As far as final fish/show fish, etc (for this tank), I initially was considering angels or scalare, but I don't think I really have the bio load or room left for any. They would also eat shrimp. 
I also considered rainbows, but...eh, I don't know. It would be cool to get my hands on some nice pencilfish or something...just some oddball, trophy-type fish, provided it won't kill everything. I'm still deciding. I may just beef up the existing schools and get a few of something else, like rummynose, lemon tetra, or maybe (captive bred) celestial pearl danios. We'll see.

-Ryan


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Your change to the driftwood assembly has added considerably to the tank - much more dynamic. Good choice.

As enjoyable as the Big-ticket ($$) journals are, ones like yours are still the bread and butter of TPT. Take a few clippings and grow them into a lush lawn or a giant stand of stems. Much more rewarding that paying for a fully stocked tank up front, IMHO.


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## esarkipato (Jul 19, 2005)

I just love your field of blyxa. So healthy! Great tank, now GO!GO! gadget HM.


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## kzr750r1 (Jun 8, 2004)

That wood setup is nice. Good job man. Taking your time on the initial tie always helps in the long run...

The separation looks good now and I wonder how it will mature. You'll for sure maintain a little open space on the left side after the stems mature.


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

Ryan,

Can I see a picture of how you attached the conduit to the stand to hang your fixture? I'm interested in doing something like it...

Thanks.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Sure epicfish. These pics are taken from earlier posts in the thread.
I just attached "U" brackets to the back of the stand (two per side - four total). The conduit bar came in 10' sections, but I cut each one down to a little over 5' with a good hacksaw blade. Don't worry about getting the pieces *exactly* the same length, because you can always adjust the height later to make them match. (note: The other "U" bracket you see closer to the middle I use for holding filter tubes in place)









Once the bar was attached, I used a coupling piece attached to a 90-degree elbow, another coupling and a small section from the leftover conduit bar scraps, just to allow the light to hang over the center of the tank. I put couplings on the end of the bar also, where the light hanger attaches. To suspend the light, I simply used a chain from Home Depot, which is rated for up to 25 lbs. I find that it's fairly easy to move around and adjust the height. I hope this is making sense. I got the main idea from someone in my club, but I modified it slightly. 

The parts I used were:
2 x 1/2" - 10' conduit bar 
6 x 1/2" conduit coupling
2 x 90-degree conduit elbow
4 x "U" brackets (attached to back of stand, to hold bars in place)
~4-5' of chain (you can use cord, chain or whatever you want)



















I really like how the lighting apparatus turned out. I have it raised about 4" above the tank, which is plenty of room for me to stick my arms in there for maintenance without raising it.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

*4-24-07*

Here's what I've been up to lately. I hacked down the stem plants quite a bit and moved the blyxa around to let it spread more to the right and back. The HM was out of control, as you can see from the pre-trim pic last night. I'm getting a little bit of algae in the moss and it shows up mildly in the blyxa and HM sometimes too. I think it has to do with the circulation and not getting Co2 mixed as well as before. Both filters seem to be putting out less flow than before, so I was thinking about tearing them down and cleaning, at least to remove the larger particles. I'll be sure to leave the bacteria alone. A couple weeks ago I trimmed the bolbitus leaves and they seem to be coming back pretty nicely, plus more compact. 

4/23 pre-trim:









I like how this driftwood "cave" is working out. I'd like to get the moss to eventually spread more and the surrounding plants to fill in the empty spots. Notice the marselia and HM in the front left. They're already choking each other, so I'll need to make a decision.









Here it is tonight, 4/24/07:










-Ryan


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## Nightshop (May 12, 2006)

That's looking real nice. My only suggestion: it'd look even nicer with a tall background plant in the rear left hand corner.

Your HM is looking lovely, is it sending out many runners?


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Thanks Nightshop. I just trimmed a lone, taller stem in the back left in hopes that it will grow taller in a more uniform manner. The plant in question I received at a plant swap and I can't remember the name, but it came from "Hoppy". It's has kind of round-ish, crinkly leaves (sorta like java fern) that turn reddish-green. It's also a pretty fast growing stem plant.
My HM sends out runner galore. I pretty much just plant the individual plantlets about 1/2" apart and let 'er rip. I just trim it to the shape I want as it takes form. I recently had to trim it back b/c it was invading the blyxa as well as the crypts. The marselia is still in danger, but I'm not sure I'm going to keep it yet.
What do you think would look better on the left foreground -- the current HM mound, or have marselia minuta take that spot?


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## mecgeorgeneo (Aug 12, 2005)

i like that light set up with the conduit bars. I might have to borrow that for my boyfriend's reef tank... T5s are awesssommmeee!
i was sorry to hear that the timers werent working correctly but i like the idea of a cover on it. i haven't seen those.
It's really nice to see your tank growing in and the different scapes, it looks great Ryan!


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## Nightshop (May 12, 2006)

I vote for the HM on the left side, just to keep things consistent.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Well, the tank is undergoing a new algae attack. I don't mean that I've discovered some new species of algae (although I wouldn't be surprised), but just plain 'ol BBA, or hair-like algae. It likes to collect in the HM, particularly deeper down near the substrate, where there is less water flow and light(likely Co2 as well). I'm also finding a little in the leaves of the blyxa and mixed up in the xmas moss. 

Solution? I did a spot dose (Fluorish Excel) on the moss a couple days ago and it looks better, but it's still there. The rest of the stuff I've been removing by hand and with a stiff-bristled brush (for filter tubing). 

New fish: Saturday I added 2 cardinal tetras, 2 zebra danios, 4 Nannostomus marginatus(dwarf pencilfish --> http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_pencil2.php) and about 20 ghost shrimp. The shrimp were mainly to see if they survive --- inexpensive "test run" for adding cherry shrimp from my breeding tank. I saw clown loaches eating one of them, although three days later I still see a few and they stay well hidden in the blyxa and HM. 

Today(Tuesday): I added two harlequin rasboras (saw one die a couple weeks ago) and six zebra danios.

Here's a couple pictures of the algae problem I'm having. It's kind of hard to see it, but it's there. I'm thinking about yanking the HM and replanting the algae-free stems. 










Moss has some as well.









Anybody know what usually causes this kind of algae? Is it probably a Co2 issue? I have a drop checker on the right side of the tank (opposite side from diffuser) and it reads green, so maybe it's just lack of flow down there since it was so overgrown?


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## James From Cali (Dec 15, 2006)

Ryan the tank looks awesome. I wish I had enough light for Blyxa Japonica. I love that stuff! Great tank! And sorry, dont know what causes the algae :icon_conf


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

***5-23 Update***

It's been a while since the last real update, so here it is. I just moved things around a little the past couple nights, so it will look a bit different. 
You'll notice that all stem plants are gone from the back right and center. I actually have a single stem of Polygonium sp. 'Sao Paolo' behind that forest of blyxa. The rest of the stems are in the fridge while I decide if I'm going to use any.
I thinned out the blyxa (yes, you heard that right) and planted HM in the little clearing. I just wanted there to be more over there then just a field of blyxa. To cover up the roots of the blyxa, I've considered either getting a few stones or plants such as the two lobelia cardinalis on the left side.
The roots that you see dangling are that of limnobium laevigatum, a floating plant from Central/South America. It spreads very fast, but looks kind of cool from the top and helps shade the lower light plants a little.

The algae problem I was having is going away. Thanks for your input. I started dosing a little, as opposed to nothing at all. I still simply dose the recommended amount for ~90g ONCE a week, after water change. I also add approx. 40mL micro/Fe solution during the week a few times. I also bumped the Co2 up a tad and trimmed and/or removed plants w/algae. I still have some in the moss, but not quite like before.










What do you think? (sorry for the grainy picture quality)

-Ryan


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## toshi (May 4, 2006)

Looks great. I love how your Blyxa look; hope mine will look nice and lush like that in the future.

Toshi


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

looks sweet nice contrast maybe could use less blyxa at the front


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Yeah, I agree. Not liking the blyxa in the front right. 
I'll remove that and do something else. Maybe I'll move marselia over to that right front area. Or I may be going to aqua forest this weekend. I could try some decorative sand and put nothing there.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

It's been a while since I updated. This is a bit of a teaser, but I truly believe that the tank looks very nice now. I'm happy with it, at least.
I recently found out that the 7 SAEs I had are actually Siamese Flying Foxes (yellowing fins and scaley appearance), so I managed to net out 3 of them and took them to the LFS. The others seem to be ok for now. I also added a few more cardinal tetras.
In addition, there's about 15-20 RCS in there and they appear to be breeding as there's several that are 1/2" long or so, and the original ones I added would be larger by now.
The blyxa is completely gone and the HC I pretty much gave up on (it wouldn't grow and kept getting clado).
I have a nice mat of glosso that's on the verge of taking over, but it looks real nice now. The left side of the tank is maturing nicely with the narrow-leaf java fern, crypts and bolbitus.
A few weeks ago, I noticed that the xmas moss was slowly dying and disappearing. I figured that I was just having some trouble and that it would eventually settle down....WRONG! I caught some of the "SAEs" eating it, which prompted me to discover that they aren't SAEs at all, so a few of them went bye bye. 
One of the things that still baffles me is the Flying foxes, Clown loaches and bristlenose pleco do not bother the RCS at all. They don't ever really bat an eye at them...not even the babies, as the RCs are apparently breeding successfully. 
Oh yeah, one of my pencilfish died last Wednesday for no apparent reason. I RARELY have fish die and one of our guests for the 4th of July party pointed out a floating fish. Doh!
I'll try to get a picture snapped tonight and post it.

-Ryan


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

*8/3/07 update!*

What's up everyone!? I figured it's about time to post an update as the last one was over two months ago!
Not a whole lot has changed, fauna-wise....just have a bunch of cherry shrimp in there (breeding) and will probably add CRS from my other tank once those start breeding. I decided that my SAEs are actually "false" ones, so I decreased the count from 7 to 4. They're still kind of neat and not real aggressive or destructive, so I'll let them stay...they just don't really eat algae...love those sinking tabs.

I removed the blyxs completely (needed a change!) and have a lawn of glosso right now, although I'll need to uproot and replant it soon as it's getting a little thick.
The crypts, anubias and narrow-leaf java fern are filling in nicely on the left side, but the bolbitus isn't doing terrific for me -- it's just "hanging in there".
Ok, you'll get the idea. 
Here they are, but just to let you know - I couldn't decide which I liked best, so I'm posting all three. One of them, as you'll see, two of the clown loaches decided to make an appearance.
I like the little touches of color, with the potomogeton gayi in the back right and the splash of red from the rotala macandra right near the upper border of glosso. 
The lighting is finally on a consistant timer....no more $3 special from the hardware store. I bought a good Corallife one and have both lights and Co2 hooked up to it.

Photo period: 4 x 54w for ~12 hrs (+ 2 x 54w for ~2 hrs midday and for the last hour) 
Algae: A little gsa on the glass from time to time and some gsa on leaves of some slower-growing plants, including a little on the glosso now, since it's been there a while. Sometimes I see a crypt leaf or two that's kind of melted, so I'm still working out issues...it's neverending! I turned the Co2 up a tad today, so we'll see if that changes anything.
IMO the tank is looking about the best it has, which is good as we're having a big bbq at our house tomorrow and I prefer it to look as good as possible 

(btw, the floating stuff is riccia and some kind of large duckweed stuff)

Pic #1:









Pic #2:









Pic #3:









Peace out,

-Ryan


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## kzr750r1 (Jun 8, 2004)

Nice rescape Ryan. The glosso and open space provide contrast to the left side...

This confirms my next transition. Somthing similar was on my mind for the 55 so for now will start transitioning Crypts 80% to one side around my java fern log. Question is what side....:icon_roll ahh the choices we have. 

Thanksfor the update.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Looks killer. well done.


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## JustOneMore21 (May 23, 2006)

Its beautiful! I love the openness on the right side. Its a nice contrast to the left.


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## Jamez (Jul 27, 2007)

Love the tank. If it were my tank I would like to see the wood move over to the right a little bit but other than that it's looking really good.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

*9/13 update*

Well, the tank was slightly rearranged, yet again. I decided to change the way the driftwood was positioned and ended up running with it...
Moving the driftwood around meant replanting and moving some of the plants around it. I decided to move the _hemigraphis traian_ over in front of the rotala macandra and try to keep it low and bushy. That way, I can try to make 4-tiers of plants, if you will...The glosso in the foreground, the _h. t traian_ right behind it, followed by the slightly taller _r. macandra_, followed by _potomogeton gayii_ in the back (basically spreading and taking over the whole back -- I may get rid of this one).

There are a couple new stems that I added on the far right (middle and back) that I got from the swap on Sunday. I also added a few strands of _echinodorus tenellus_, mixed around patches of glosso. We'll see how that works.

I added some more rummynose tetras a few weeks ago, but due to my recent rescape (~1 week ago), the water's still a tad cloudy and I lost four cardinal tetras and one otto. 

Here are a few pictures I snapped tonight while playing around with the camera settings. 

















-Ryan Ingram


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## PasD (Sep 2, 2006)

I like the new scape and the nice lawn of glosso. How'd you get it to stay low? I haven't had much luck keeping it low and compact.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

A combination of intense lighting and good levels of Co2. Although I've heard of people grow it in lower light and non-Co2 injected tanks and it grew pretty compact, so that leaves a bit of question as to what really causes the low growth...
There's a few plants in there that I just planted and some (rotala macandra) that I just trimmed, so they look kind of ratty. I think in another couple weeks or so, it should be getting closer to how I want it in terms of the scape itself.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

update? Can't wait to see what you changed this time....lol. Always fun to see this tank. You seem to hit a homerun with each redo.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Ok, I just totally redid the tank yesterday (my day off of work). I created more of a slope on the left side and removed the huge log of driftwood that had the bolbitus growing from it (though not very well). I also removed all of the wendtii crypts, leaving only the 'lucens' on part of the foreground and the balansae in the back. The only driftwood being utilized are the ADA black wood that I had, although I rearranged it quite a bit and the centerpiece of the tank is more the narrow leaf java fern and lobelias. The glosso will now be allowed to cover about 90% of the foreground. I really think it looks nicer and much more clean. Only problem is that I lost some cardinals and rummynoses in the transition, so I'll need to replace a few fish. 
*Update in the next day or so (hopefully)!*


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## Saraja87 (Jul 18, 2007)

looking forward to that update!


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Thanks for the interest and encouragement. It's good to know that all these updates and pictures are being enjoyed by someone


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

*Rescape --- update 10/04*

Here are some photos I took tonight. It's still a bit hazy, but I'm sure it'll clear up completely in a couple days. I'm really tempted to buy a DE filter sometime....

This first picture is a full shot of the rescape I did on Wednesday:











Next one you can see the stem plant groupings on the right side. 
Clockwise from top left: rotala macandra 'narrow leaf' (? not certain), rotala sp. 'green', rotala macandra, HM. 
There's also a stem of (what I think is) ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata 'Cuba'.
I have problems with the r. macandra, as you can see. The new growth is nice, but once it gets to be a week old (thereabouts), it starts to turn color.
Not sure why it's doing this. The only solution I know is to just keep replanting the tops. There's plenty of light - 4 x 54w for ~12 hrs w/ all 6 on for ~3 hrs midday.











Next picture is a top view of the left side. You can see the hemiagraphis traian in the back left and the cryptocoryne x willisii 'lucens'.
I'd like the glosso carpet to spread, so that it's bordered by the crypts and lobelia cardinalis 'small form' on this side. You can see the cories, ottos and cherry shrimp busy at work, with the columbian tetra darting by.










Here's a shot looking down on the center region. I especially like the narrow leafed plant on the top left (cryptocoryne crispatula var. balansae). You should be able to see the zebra danios, harlequin rasboras and columbian tetras zooming by.











I'm in the process of installing lights (one on either side) in the stand that will turn on when the respective door is opened. I'll take a picture of that when it's complete, for those interested. I'm also planning to switch over to a Co2 reactor this weekend. I have one in the garage that I used on a different tank. I think that some of my issues may be solved by making sure the Co2 is well dissolved. I may even consider getting a manifold and using a reactor and diffuser in conjuction with each other.

Oddly enough, none of my three clown loaches got into any of these pictures. They're starting to get decent size, with the biggest one at 3.5-4" now.


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## caoboy (Apr 22, 2007)

ringram said:


>


what's that single plant on the left side right there?


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## esarkipato (Jul 19, 2005)

Nice rescape, looks like it will be great! I love the crypt balansae too. It'll be funny to watch that HM blow up into a large bush!!! 

I have the very same trouble with my macandra, and in fact most of the rotala species that I've tried. I think it's just in the water, because I can grow any ludwigia species I care to .... what are your hardness levels? Do you soften at all? That is my suspicion, but no proof yet! I have GH 14, KH 4 (roughly). Do you know if you are on municipal (treated) supply, or well water?

BTW, how do your cherries survive with 3 clowns >3"!?!?!?



> what's that single plant on the left side right there?


Looks like a stem of blyxa to me.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

caoboy said:


> what's that single plant on the left side right there?


blyxa japonica.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

esarkipato said:


> Nice rescape, looks like it will be great! I love the crypt balansae too. It'll be funny to watch that HM blow up into a large bush!!!


Yeah, I'll have to keep it trimmed or it'll take over. I actually just trimmed it and removed about 20-30 stems, so you get an idea of what it was about a week ago.



> I have the very same trouble with my macandra, and in fact most of the rotala species that I've tried. I think it's just in the water, because I can grow any ludwigia species I care to .... what are your hardness levels? Do you soften at all? That is my suspicion, but no proof yet! I have GH 14, KH 4 (roughly). Do you know if you are on municipal (treated) supply, or well water?


The last time I checked the water params (I honestly haven't tested the water, except for No3 and ph for months now).
I think it's around dGh / dKh ~ 3-4
ph ~ 6.6
No3 ~10-15
No2 / NH3 = 0
Po4 = ? (I don't really have a reliable test kit for this)

The water is just regular Sacramento city water -- treated. I use Prime with each wc.



> BTW, how do your cherries survive with 3 clowns >3"!?!?!?


They just do. I don't have a good explanation for that. I bought the clowns when they were very small and the cherries have been in the for a good 4-5 months now and had enough room in my old set up to hide and get a solid foothold. Two of them are about 3.5-4" and the other is around 2.5" I'd say. I also feed the fish quite well once/day and the clowns get to eat several sinking pellets. Maybe the reason is sufficient feeding and they don't have to "hunt"? I've even seen cherrys swim right around clowns and right by their nose and they don't seem to care.

-Ryan


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

*New Update!! 11/08/07*

It's been a little over a month, so I thought I'd post an update. It's not grown in exactly how I want it, but it's getting close.
You'll notice in the pics the large bush of HM on the far right, next to the shorter HM to the left of that. My plan is to have an even larger bush of it, which will block out the bottom of the stem plants in the back. I'm also waiting for those to get taller and bush out a little more.
The glosso was just replanted about 3-4 weeks ago and it's already pretty much covering the foreground.

(distant view)









(closer view)









HM bush (I'm waiting for the whole thing to get to uniform size, but it takes a while!)









left side (narrow leaf java fern, cardinal plants, hemigraphis triain(back left), rotala (either colorata or rotundifolia) and a red ludwigia sp.)










I'm also going to subject you to a few more pics, because....hey, it's the journal for this tank, so why not??

I recently added baskets to the inside right door, to store food and dechlor:









The left inside door has a chart with EI recommended dosing base on tank size and a few other odds and ends, formulas, useful info, etc:









I'm not satisfied with the Co2 levels in the tank as I don't feel like I'm getting enough dissolved with the diffuser. So, thanks to a recent demonstration that Tom Barr did to our local club, I'm building a PVC reactor...I'm basically just waiting on some 2" clear PVC.










I'll leave you with this.....

The first one I call "Otto Frenzy!"
The second one I call "Lone cardinal among cardinals" (plants) --> I liked it so much, I made it my new avatar.



















News flash! Just for those who care, we recently found out that my wife is pregnant -- almost 2 months now  Due in mid June.
I'm also starting a new job on Monday (longer commute, but better pay). Lots of changes!

-Ryan


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## SearunSimpson (Jun 5, 2007)

How does the PVC Co2 reactor work? I have a small similar PH i could use, but im trying to figure out how it works with the PVC


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Ringram Congratulations on the wonderful news. Best of luck to you and your wife. Best of luck with the new Job too!!!

Just sleep as much as you can, you never will again....LOL.

Tank looks great also!


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Thanks! 
Here's a link to the reactor that I'm attempting to replicate:

*http://www.barrreport.com/articles/3444-dual-venturi-diy-external-co2-reactor.html*


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## tazcrash69 (Sep 27, 2005)

Hey Ryan, Congrats. You might want to start converting this to a low-tech, low maintenance tank. 
The tank is growing in nice.


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## JustOneMore21 (May 23, 2006)

Your tank is beautiful! The plants are growing in nicely. 

Congrats on the baby news!


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

tazcrash69 said:


> Hey Ryan, Congrats. You might want to start converting this to a low-tech, low maintenance tank.
> The tank is growing in nice.


Nahh. I'm sure I'll be able to find time once a week to spend an hour or two doing maintenance. I stay up late


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## briandmiles (Feb 23, 2005)

ringram said:


> I stay up late


So do babies.

Brian


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## ieplayboy (Nov 12, 2007)

*Great work*

waitting for update!:thumbsup:


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## Architect1 (Feb 19, 2006)

Oh wow beautiful tank you have there, love how green and lush it is.


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## styxx (Jul 2, 2003)

JustOneMore21 said:


> Your tank is beautiful! The plants are growing in nicely.
> 
> Congrats on the baby news!


I agree. I especially like how your Glosso is coming along...very nice so far....


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

*1/9/08 Update*

Well, it's been almost two months, so here's a shot I just took today.
The HM bush is getting pretty big. lol
The java fern / lobelia cardinalis bush is getting huge also.

It may be tough to see in this picture, but I recently added a few rocks (6 I think) with xmas moss tied to them. I also have a couple areas that I sparcely planted some bronze-looking e. tennelus (middle and front-right). 

I have some HC in the fridge that I may either plant, or save for the 45cm ADA tank that I plan on getting next weekend --- yes, you heard that right! 
I still have a few sprigs of HC in the foreground, but not that much.

This first picture I took last night after a water change. I was gawking at how nice it looked while doing the wc and felt the inclination to take a picture before I trim it. 
The main plant you see is _pogostemon stellatus_ and the round-leaved plant is almost certainly ludiwigia repens (I received at a plant swap a couple months ago). There's also some rotala sp. 'green' on the left, which is coming back from the last pruning.

The second picture is quite simply, the tank. I'm pretty happy with it as it is right now. I only do wc's once a week or so, I only trim about every 2-3 weeks and only dose once or twice a week. It's looking the best that it's possibly ever looked, in my opinion.

-Ryan




















Looking at this picture now, it's not bad, but it certainly doesn't do the tank justice. There are so many details in the shadows that don't even show up. Not to mention that there are a TON of shrimp (mostly RCS).

**Question: What is causing my blackening leaves of stargrass (front left)? It's a very delicate plant, so I used to think it was either fish bumping it, or from my replanting...but it's like that on nearly every leaf.


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## kzr750r1 (Jun 8, 2004)

That is quite a HM ball you have going these days. I wish my cardinals would come out once in a while. I rarely see them in mass...

Thanks for the update.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

I really like the cardinals, even if they don't school too well. I have 13 of them.


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## jinx© (Oct 17, 2007)

Great looking tank ringram.

Drop me a line if you ever need to sell off a handful of your RCS or other shrimp. I havent had any luck finding shrimp at any of the LFS in our area.


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## digthemlows (Dec 17, 2007)

jinx© said:


> Great looking tank ringram.
> 
> Drop me a line if you ever need to sell off a handful of your RCS or other shrimp. I havent had any luck finding shrimp at any of the LFS in our area.


Same here, although the owner of Exotic Aquarium assured me they'd have shrimp in today! I'll be calling before I drive..........


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

True, but you get adults with questionable history and health for about $2.50/ea and I sell juvenile's, typically, for about $1/ea (ie, longer life and healthier)


I've seen RCS at another LFS for $6.99...maybe that's why I haven't seen them in a while. I've also seen RCS, green shrimp and (I think) amanos at Fish Planet, but that was at least 6-8 months ago (and only once) and I haven't seen any shrimp since.


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## demonbreedr16 (Jan 10, 2008)

It looks great...so sad you traded your fish though........The white thing at the bottom...Cory?


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

you need a carpet 
the center plant with hammered long leaves is amazing. are those crypt balansae?


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

The white one you see at the bottom is one of the three albino/bronze cories. I also have a couple schwartzii cories. I like the albino ones much more. They're always out grazing and seem to have so much character. My wife loves them also.



demonbreedr16 said:


> It looks great...so sad you traded your fish though........The white thing at the bottom...Cory?


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## demonbreedr16 (Jan 10, 2008)

ringram said:


> The white one you see at the bottom is one of the three albino/bronze cories. I also have a couple schwartzii cories. I like the albino ones much more. They're always out grazing and seem to have so much character. My wife loves them also.


 I LOVE cories!! the have such personalities. I plan on getting some panda cories for my now-coming-along-nicely community....It is a 29G aquarium and most of the fish in there will go...but to my GF!!I plan on getting 1 or 2 small angels also.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

*4/12 - update with pics!*

New update - 4/12/08:

This tank is dramatically different from the last post (~3 months ago), so I figured I'd make an update.

I decided to go with a more open-tank look, with some shade provided by the cryptocoryne balansae. 
I've let the echinodorus tennelus go wild on the right side and the only thing holding it back was a small BBA problem, of which is now mostly corrected.

You may notice a very small patch of HC on the front right.
I also have marselia minuta growing in the left/middle foreground.

I used tons of xmas moss -- it was more than this, but I took a good chunk out last night for a little 2.5g I set up. I've never really scaped with moss, as I've always struggled growing it --- likely b/c I usually owned SAE's and they have been found to snack on it! :icon_twis 

Let me know what you think. I'm always looking to improve and find out what people like/don't like about these arrangements.

As for fish selection, I'm sort of tempted to net out the zebra danios, harlequin rasboras and phantom tetras and buying more cardinals or columbian. What do you think and/or do you have any suggestions?



















-Ryan


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## nellis (Oct 27, 2005)

I love your balansae. I think any changes you make to the tank in the future should be based around that plant, it's such a strong element in your tank.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

IMO you need a focal point that's offcenter but will complement that lovely crypt... maybe some hardscape like a Manzanita "stump"? Or a red sword?


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## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

wow, so i just read the entire 12 pages of the post and i loveeeee your aquarium. its been through sooo many phases, i love it.

its been amazing. good luck with all the upcoming plans and i hope that you keep posting.


oh and i love the glosso carpet that you had a few months ago, it looked amazing.


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

I think the arrangement looks nicely balanced. The Balansae is a nice element that might benefit from additional Crypts -- maybe some Reds or Bronzes off to the left of the balansae?

As for the fish, your idea would work very well. More Colombians and Cardinals would tighten up the overall look and make everything more cohesive. Zebra Danios are a bit too spastic IMO Not quite chill enough for a planted tank, especially one as nice as this!

I'll be watching this one! Nice job!


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

I'm fighting a little BBA right now and will have the 2nd filter up-and-running again soon (it's been off for ~ 6 months now) along with the UV Sterilizer. I had many, many problems with leaks after hooking it up with PVC. So many issues that I put it on hold for a few months.
No leaks now, but the Eheim 2026 itself is leaking, so I ordered new gaskets. Once those come in, I can get it running and create better circulation = hopefully less algae.

Right now, all that's in the tank are 3 clown loaches, a few cories, 6-7 ottos, gads of cherry shrimp and a BN pleco (I think - haven't seen him in a while).

I'm still debating on what the school(s) of fish will be.
The plant arrangement (I guess) is about the same, but better as they're more filled in.
I removed most of the Marselia minuta and just went with the echinodorus tenellus, which is growing rampant.
I hope to get a good shot of it in the near future, when I feel that it's worthy!

-Ryan


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## Adhlc (May 4, 2008)

Very nice tank, I'm definitely going to have to pick up some balansae now!  

Can we get an update?


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Soon enough! I just got a package from BigAl's on Thursday, which contained new gaskets for my Eheim 2026 (it was leaking) and new hoses, as well as some more fish food.
I'll be getting everything together today and doing a water change, trim and getting that 2nd filter running which has the UV Sterilizer.

There are, however no real mid/top dwelling fish in the tank (eventually will).
Clown loaches, cories, ottos, cherry shrimp and a BN pleco are all that inhabit this tank now.

-Ryan


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

looking forward to the update


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## mizu-chan (May 13, 2008)

Great photo journal!
Updates needed!!


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## The Gipper (Sep 9, 2003)

Wow! Just read the whole thread from beginning...tons of changes since you started, all look great!

You have inspired me to switch over my 120g (4x2x2) to high tech plant...

One question: What does HM stand for (plant)....


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

HM = _hemianthus micranthemoides_ (aka: pearl grass)


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## nanojimbo (Jul 2, 2008)

i love how much youve covered on your tank! seriously all the different plants and scapes youve taken pictures on here is nuts! beautiful tank!


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## macquatic (Jul 13, 2008)

*Hi*

Hi,
What loverly tank.
It looks great. I really love the pic with all the Ottocinclus.
Cheers,
macquatic


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

i have just realised that the tank need a little hardscape. it's just me though, the tank is already beautiful. how long did it took for the balansae to grow that big?


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Ikuzu - Well, you're in luck. I added some rocks recently and it actually looks quite good IMHO.
I do have 3 or 4 pieces of ADA black wood in there, but the plants mostly cover them up.
To answer your question, the balansae gets thick and overgrown fairly quick (couple months). Older leaves have been collecting black brush algae (BBA) on the edges, so I just pluck them off as I see 'em. New leaves grow to the top of the tank in just a few weeks or less. After 2-3 months, it starts to look real thick and overgrown. 

Nanojimbo - Thanks! I love ottos also. Cute little guys and they school up and down the front of the tank every time I do a water change and/or trim plants. lol
They're a bit delicate at first (due to fish store mistreatment no doubt), but once acclimated can live quite a long time. The tank is about 1 1/2 yrs old and some of those ottos I bought within a month or so of tank setup. They were among the few survivors of a major die off (my fault) about 3 months ago.
I haven't bought any fish so far (except 3 clown loaches), but 6-7 ottos, the cory cats and BN pleco lived...oh yeah, cherry shrimp lived also...they seem almost indestructible once acclimated.

I'll be posting some pics later tonight.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Here are a few pictures of the tank as it stands tonight.
I did a small water change tonight and did a trim a few days ago.

Having both filters finally running and the Co2 reactor hooked up, I should have a lot better Co2 levels.

Maybe I'll put the drop checker in tomorrow, as a test.
If Co2 still isn't sufficient, I was thinking about getting a manifold and another needle valve and running either another inline reactor, or use both a reactor and diffuser.

Full tank:









A few individual plants:


























Here are a few more shots I decided to throw in:


























-Ryan


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## kakkoii89 (Oct 23, 2007)

N I C E !


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## kzr750r1 (Jun 8, 2004)

Is that Dwarf Sag on the right forground?


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## Chrisinator (Jun 5, 2008)

Awesome!


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

No the right foreground (really the entire right side, just about) is echinodorus tenellus (chain sword) "narrow leaf".


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## kzr750r1 (Jun 8, 2004)

ringram said:


> No the right foreground (really the entire right side, just about) is echinodorus tenellus (chain sword) "narrow leaf".


Nice! Never was able to get that to take. Looked too compact and thin to be DS.


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## Kolkri (Dec 9, 2006)

Nice but where are the fish?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Time for an update, for sure! 

Do you still have that E. tenellus 'micro' carpet going?


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Yes, but not as much of the NL micro sword. There's more marselia minuta and blyxa (in background on right and left now).
I removed the ludwigia arcuata and lobelia cardinalis.

It's pretty nicely filled in now. 
I also added 5 rainbowfish (2 praecox, 3 boesmani) and plan on adding a few more.
I'd like to add a shoal of top-dwelling smaller fish, not to colorful so the focus isn't taken from the rainbows.

Hatchetfish look nice, but I've heard they jump and I have an open top tank...

I should have an update sometime soon. I'm doing a water change and little top/replant tonight.

-Ryan


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

*3/6/09 update!*

Wow! I guess time flies. I didn't realize that it had been so long since I posted an update. This thread has been going for over 2 years now! I can't believe the tank has been going for that long.

The tank has gone through some recent changes. For a while, I was somewhat neglectful and had a bout of BBA (which I'm not completely rid of), in addition to an infestation of MTS's....though I've given up on this, as they only come out at night pretty much.

I removed the wood that was in there and replaced it with some nice manzanita from my parent's property up north.

I also just got a few new plants at a SFBAAPS club meet and bought a few at Albany Aquarium.

Let me know what you think. I'm basically waiting for things to grow in, such as the glosso on the right side and the plant on the left side (got it at meet and forgot name)....it's kind of a dwarf-dwarf hairgrass. Very fine blades and only grows a few inches tall. Somewhat rare to my understanding.



















-Ryan


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## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

hows the tank doing?


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Not too good. I was neglecting it for a little too long. Most of the plants are unhealthy and/or have BBA. There are roots from old carpets of glosso that have BBA on them and are protruding out of the substrate...trying to remove all of it is futile. In addition, there's too many MTS's to even try to kill. The clown loaches weren't eating them and now the clowns are dead.
The only living fish in there are two Bosemani rainbows, 4 cherry barbs, several RCS's, 4 or 5 otto's and a BN pleco.
I'm in the process of getting a smaller tank going, so I can transfer the fish to that and do a complete tear-down and re-do of the 90g tank.
I'm going to have two powerheads in there for better circulation and I'm going to try those wood airstones for Co2 (I hear good things about them). In addition, I'll be getting a manifold/splitter, so I can inject Co2 at both ends of the tank. That way, there should be plenty of Co2 so I know that won't be a limiting factor.
I'm also going to get new substrate, since not only is this aquasoil covered in roots w/BBA, and MTS's, but it also seems to be slowly dissolving to mush.
I wonder if I should get aquasoil again, or try something else. 
Time will tell, but I still need to get some replacement gaskets for the Eheim filter on my smaller tank, so this will be on hold until I get those.

-Ryan


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Ryan, it looks like the fatherhood chores are getting lighter and you have more time for aquariums again. I hope you can fit in a few S.A.P.S. meetings into your schedule too. And, before you get rid of the mts, I would love to have some of them. I'm still dumb enough to think they are a good addition to a planted tank.:hihi:


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Hoppy - Yes, I'm sure I'll be able to attend the next meeting (first Tuesday in Sept).
Things have calmed down around here a little, so I've been able to start spending more time with the tanks. There were a couple spans, where the 90g went for 4-5 weeks without a water change. That just too much, especially considering my Co2 injection method isn't working too well since the circulation isn't what it should be.
I'll set aside some MTS's to bring to the meeting.

I have no idea what the future is for the tank. I've had thoughts of keeping the stand and getting a rimless/ADA-type tank, but who knows...


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

ringram said:


> Hoppy - Yes, I'm sure I'll be able to attend the next meeting (first Tuesday in Sept).
> Things have calmed down around here a little, so I've been able to start spending more time with the tanks. There were a couple spans, where the 90g went for 4-5 weeks without a water change. That just too much, especially considering my Co2 injection method isn't working too well since the circulation isn't what it should be.
> I'll set aside some MTS's to bring to the meeting.
> 
> I have no idea what the future is for the tank. I've had thoughts of keeping the stand and getting a rimless/ADA-type tank, but who knows...


The S.A.P.S. website is no longer the one in your signature. It is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sacaquaticplant/ I will plan to see you in September. (We have over 85 members now!)


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## Jedi940 (Nov 27, 2011)

Great thread! Just finished reading it. I am in the middle of moving to a 75 gallon and you have given me a few ideas with all your re-scapes. I also like the way you hung your lights and I might be doing the same thing to keep it simple. 

It would be great to get an update on the status of your tank. It's been 4 years and I'm very curious to see how it progressed.


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

Unfortunately, I took the tank down in 2011 and it served as an African Cichlid tank (no plants) for a little over a year before I sold it upon our move.

I have a 60P Amano tank (~18g) that I'm getting ready to set up. Excited to be back into planted tanks!


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