# 5 Gallon Planted Journal - R.I.P. Mr. Betta and little tank! (!56k)



## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Well, I've posted about my 5 gallon before, but those were questions when I was getting started, I figured I'd consolidate the pictures and things into one place and document my journey of my first planted tank! (Well, first tank that i started from scratch with the specific purpose of making it a planted tank, there are live plants in my 20 gallon also)

Well, this is 5 gallon AGA tank with a glass canopy and 16" 14w AGA fluorescent strip light. The substrate is natural colored small rounded gravel. Not ideal, I know, but the smallest bag of "planted tank specialty substrate" they had would have been too much for my 5 and my 20 combined, and the owner (who is very knowledgeable) said this would work, and what can i say, I was impatient to get started!  

Flora:
Purple cabomba 
Asian ambulia
Marsilea minuta
Red Crypt wendtii
Anubias nana petite 
Foxtail
few others

Fauna: 
1 Male Betta
2 Male guppies
3 Otos

Hardscape: 
1 small piece of driftwood 

This is a low tech tank, so I dose with Flourish 1-2 times a week, Excel every day to every other day, and Fertilizer tabs under the substrate near the roots every 2 weeks or (if the nitrate levels are low).

Ok, i think that about covers the "ingredients"  

This is the tank 2/19/08 When i first added plants: 









But I decided it was too sparse and needed something else so I hunted down a small piece of driftwood and added it. 

So here's the tank 2/20 on day 2 w/o a flash: 









and with a flash:


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

It still didn't look quite right to me so I asked for advice and decided to shift things around a bit, angled the driftwood toward the back to give it depth, added a few more plants to fill it in a little and I moved the Anubias higher on the driftwood (for looks and to get the rhizome higher out of the gravel). 

Here's the tank on 2/21 w/o a flash: 









and with a flash: 









And that is how i let the tank sit for a couple of weeks, dosing with ferts and letting the plants get some roots down and settle in. I was aiming for a silent cycle when I added my Betta. When I started seeing new leaf and root growth i let the tank settle a little longer and then I added my Betta 

Here's the tank on 3/6/08, it's starting to get a little grown over (couldn't believe how fast that happened!) and with the Betta (w/o flash):









and with flash (makes the betta glow ): 









And the Betta hiding in the Purple Cabomba (he likes to rest in the leaves):


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Well it's been a while since I posted a photo update, so here's a quick one of the pruned and regrown tank. I think I had the camera on the wrong setting though because this one is blurry (sorry it looked good on the little tiny camera screen!) so i'll have to get a better one this evening! 










And my Happy Betta:









And one of my chubby otos:


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## mgamer20o0 (Mar 8, 2007)

real jungle now it seems.....


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## Kayen (Oct 14, 2007)

wow oto seems well fed.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

mgamer20o0: haha yes, it's getting a bit jungle-ish...it looks slightly more jungley in the blurry picture than it does in real life though  but it is time for a trim again

viettxboii: thanks, yeah, they're pretty happy chubby little guys! (i have 2)


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Here are some photo updates of my 5g. I did a fair bit of pruning on the Cabomba so it's looking a LITTLE sparse at the moment, i think i'm going to try to keep the cabomba a little sparser though and leave the Wisteria thick and full (if i let them both get forest like, where will anyone swim?! ) I was having trouble getting good photos of the tank tonight, so here's a few. I was able to get a few really good pictures of my Betta though, so i'm including those as well As always, questions, comments, concerns, suggestions are all welcome! Thanks for looking, I hope you enjoy!

My 5 gallon tank with no flash (using a couple different settings):


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

And pictures of my pretty Betta boy :
With flash









Without flash


















Sorry....couldn't get any good shots of the ottos tonight, i'll keep trying though


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Well, the bad news is that when I was away for a long weekend last weekend my roommate forgot to shut the lights off in my tank at night, and there wasn't enough nutrients to sustain the plants and there was a lot of die off of my plants, so it's time to prune and rescape and rebuild. Sigh.

BUT I was at a pet store i don't usually go to because it's a bit farther away than my awesome LFS that I like so much, but I was near it today so I went in to see what they had, and it turned out to be buy one get one free day (every sunday, all fish under $5.00) AND they had Corydoras hastatus so i picked some up for my 5 gallon! I knew they were small but I was surprised just HOW small they were, they're adorable!!!  They are currently drip acclimating 

I'll post some pictures of the new layout and new inhabitants once I get it all settled!


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## Justbeginningfish (Mar 28, 2008)

I am pining for the Hastatus cories, Im subscribing to see how they do for you! and I want pictures ASAP!!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Yeah, i was really excited when i found them! They're really what i wanted but I couldn't find them so I went with Otos, now i'm glad I didn't add more otos because it meant i had room for these little guys!!!

Sadly, I lost 1 of them already, but the girl was poking at the bag once she had them packed up so I think she thought she might've gotten a bad one...i should have asked her to switch it. One of the the others is looking a little iffy as well, but the other 2 were zooming around the tank, and went right after an algae wafer i dropped in the tank, so I'm thinking it wasn't poor acclimation, but 1 (possibly 2) little cories in not such great shape. I'm going to bring it back and get a replacement after work. 

I snapped a couple photos on my way out the door this morning, i'll look at them now (taking a late lunch break) to see if any are worht posting!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Well, there's no full tank shots (i'll try to get those tonight) but here's a few of the corydoras hastatus

Sharing and algase wafer: 



























Hanging out: 


















A couple (not so great) ones of the 2 Otos:


















And a couple of my Betta (i think he needs a name...)

















(please excuse the glass that desperately needs a good cleaning on the outside)

Enjoy! As always, all suggestions, comments, questions, concerns, whatever are welcome!

Thanks for looking!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Well, while looking up their full grown size (0.8 - 1.0") I discovered that it appears the tank at the store was mis-labeled and these are actually Corydoras pygmaeus...but I'm still happy because those were the 2 types of dwarf cory I was looking for. So mislabeled or not, I'm happy with my teeny new additions to the tank!  And it sounds like these guys stay a little smaller than the hastatus anyway, which is good because the tank is only 5g and already has a Betta and 2 otos in it.


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## Justbeginningfish (Mar 28, 2008)

I want them! 

I have visions of a school of 20 of them in my big tank, but that will have to wait for a while!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

ahhahaha yeah, they're really cute! I'd love to have more, but i don't have room...the few i have are good though so far, i'm happy with them!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Quick update (sorry no full tank shot yet) I went back to the petstore to replace the little Cory that I lost, and couldn't help myself, I got an extra one too. Drip acclimated them last night and I'm happy to say that all 5 are happy and darting all around the tank today! I hope it stays that way!  Will try to get a FTS soon.


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## Jimbo205 (Oct 12, 2006)

Nice thread and great photos. 

Good job!


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I agree- they're adorable, and you've done such a great job with this tank! roud:


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Jimbo - thanks! 

LLBP - thanks so much! That means a lot, you were very helpful in getting it started so I really appreciate the kind words! Thanks again! And I know, they're so cute!!! Heehee! :-D


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Well, it's a sad day for me, I came home from my long weekend away, and the Wisteria in my 5g seems not to have re-taken after the excessive light incident (the lights are on timers now) and there was a bunch of die-off, which wouldn't be SO terrible (i have FLOURISHING replacement wisteria in my 20g) but I fear the excess of ammonia from the dying plants and new cories caused one of my Otos and 3 of the new cories to pass  
I pulled all of the dead and dying Wisteria from the tank, did a 75% water change, replanted the one wisteria stalk with a good root base, pulled a LARGE stalk of Wisteria with a great root base from the 20g and planted it in the 5g. 
I'll give it a day or two to settle in, then as long as the params are ok, i'll probably add back an Oto since they do well in groups, but I will wait a little longer to add back the cories.
I took a couple pictures of my now very sad looking tank, they're not great because the water was still cloudy, and some of the cabomba is bent over because it got uprooted while I was away and was floating or stuck under part of another stalk upside down and curved up and around to the light , anyway I thought I'd post something...Once everything starts growing back in I'll post more new photos...Thanks for looking! 




























As always, questions, comments, concerns are welcome!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

I picked up another Oto while I was at my LFS for the 5g, it's drip-acclimating right now  I'll wait until the tank is back up and lush and green before adding back any cories though.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Just thought I would post a quick update. I went away for the weekend again and came home to a crystal clear tank with only a smattering of dead Wisteria leaves (only 1 or 2). The cabomba had little to no death, and the Crypt wendtii and the Anubias both have NEW growth. So it seems like the tank is starting to bounce back! Both Otos and my betta are doing well. Tank appears to be having a mini-cycle, ammonia and nitrIte are both at readable levels (~.25) NitrAte is 5-10, but I think mostly that's from the fert tablets I put in the tank. I did a ~50% water change to reduce the ammonia and added some pieces of wisteria with good roots growing out of them from my 20g to float in the water and hopefully suck up some of the ammonia/ nitrite etc., and hopefully the beneficial bacteria on the leaves will help as well  The pH is low I believe from the driftwood. So i'll be keeping a close eye on this tank and trying to get it to bounce fully back.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Just wanted to post another quick update, had a couple randomly melting crypt leaves today, but the wisteria finally seems to have bounced back and is growing instead of dying, so yay for that!  I added a tiny bit of crushed coral to the filter, pH is up a bit! Betta and Otos are still happy. And the mini-cycling is progressing nicely, ammonia is still around .25, but the nitrIte is at about .5, and nitrAte is at ~10+ even though i haven't added any more fert tabs recently, so the bacteria seem to be kicking into gear and hopefully we'll have the ammonia and nitrIte back down to 0 again in no time! Here's a couple of pictures, i know i need to move things around a bit, but I want to let everything get some roots and get healthy again for a little longer before I start moving things  

2 Tank shots (different settings): 


















And a couple nice shots of the Betta
With Flash: 









And a couple without the flash so you can see closer to the color that I see when I look in the tank: 


















Sorry...he got camera shy after the first one so he's kind of hidden by plants


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Very quick happy update on the 5g....plants are all starting to show signs of NEW growth instead of dying on me! WOOHOO!!! mini-ish cycle is chugging along, should be good as new soon, and the pH is holding at a steady 7.2...I believe it's time to start thinking about getting my sad lonely Oto a new friend soon!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Quick update...plants continue to grow in nicely! WOOT! Parameters have been stable for about a week, ammonia and nitrIte are finally back to 0 and nitrAtes are rising, pH is steady at 7.2-7.4, GH is about 8, KH is about 2-3. Phew. So with more stabilized parameters I decided at the end of last week it was time to add back Oto friends for my one tough little guy that made it through all the turmoil. I got 2 in case one didn't make it, but both are doing well! So i have 3 active, fat, happy, healthy looking Otos in my 5g now. Might be too much bioload to add back the little cories, not sure. They might have to wait until the next tank I set up  Or possibly i'll put them in the 20g. They're so cute, i'm absolutely in love with them now so I need to get them for SOMETHING!  :-D 

Need to do a little trimming and replanting now that the plants are healthy again and then i'll post pictures. 

So many projects now that both tanks are happy again! :-D


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## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

youre tanks looking really nice!! i still cant find pygmy cories  

if youre trimming the cabomba ill take some


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Thank you! Yeah, the pygmy cories were hard to find at a pet store, you may end up having to order them. I'm concerned that when I go back to get more, they'll be gone! 

Hahaha i'd love to send you some cabomba, unfortunately I don't have enough to take any out just yet, just move it around and perhaps trim some and replant it to bulk it up....Wisteria on the other hand I could probably spare a little of if you wanted it


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

I did a bit of rearranging in the tank today, I switched which side the cabomba and wisteria were on and moved the large crypt from behind the driftwood to in front of it. And I shifted the driftwood to the right (if you're facing the tank) a bit. I'm not sure if I like it, I think I do but i'll have to wait until it grows in a little more, and "fluffs back" up....plants never quite want to stand straight and look nice right after they get moved around do they? 

I took a couple pictures but the water is a bit murky. I'll take some more when the water clears and the plants are (hopefully) no longer leaning in weird directions!  



















As always, input of any kind is more than welcome! 

Thanks!


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

crypts are heavy root feeders IME, they would do better if you gave root tabs (unless you are already).


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Marko - thanks, yep i do put root tabs in there for them!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Well, I am happy to report that after a weekend away, instead of a disaster, I came home to find my tank looking quite lovely. The very crooked (tallest) wisteria on the right has straightened out nicely, some of the other wisteria plants appear to have grown a bit, and the cabombas have straightened out and grown as well!  All three Otos are frolicking around the tank and the betta is doing his thing Finally, i can breath a little easier about this tank as it seems to be stable. (the mini-cycle is also over, back to 0 ammonia and nitrIte, ~10 nitrAte :biggrin: )


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## mybrotherdarrell (May 28, 2008)

I love your betta - he's so pretty!

And I love your idea of placing the heater at the very bottom - I've never thought of that, and it would work perfectly in my tank because I have lots of large rocks at the bottom to hide it. However, in your tank, you might want to try hiding it behind the wisteria. *shrug* Just a thought.

Anyway, I love your tank with all the different textures and colors - it looks really nice. Keep up the good work.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Thanks! I'll send the compliment along to him!  hehehe

Thanks for the thought, I'm not sure I can fit it there with the filter hidden by the wisteria as well, but i have thought about it. I keep hoping that wisteria, cabomba and crypt wendtii will fill in along the whole back wall more. I also need to replace one of the suction cups to keep it parallel to the bottom. Once side always drifts up! I also find with the heater in that configuration the tank temp tends to be more even. Thanks again for the suggestion though, i'll take another look! I might be getting a whole new heater soon though and keep this one as my extra/QT heater. 

And thanks for compliments on the overall look of the tank, i've worked really hard on it, and have had some big and sad setbacks, so it's really encouraging to hear the positive feedback! :-D


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Well it's been a while since I updated this thread, I'll post some pics tonight before and after a major rescape. I pulled out all of the Wisteria to go in my new 30g, it gets too big too fast for this tiny tank, but I got some plantes from the SNS here that need slightly higher light and whatnot and I plan on planting them. I got some marsilea minuta that is starting to put out new plantlets for ground cover and a few others that had been intended for the 20g but weren't fairing too well in there so into the slightly higher light 5.5 they'll go. I pulled most of the cabomba for the 30g as well, but I left a little of it because it does seem to do well in this tank, if it doesn't fair well in the 30 i'll move it back to the 5.5. Currently there are only 3 Otos in this tank, my Betta is not doing too well so I moved him to a small QTT where he can sit comfortably on top of some silk plants near the surface of the water, unfortunately, I don't think he'll be going back in this tank, so I'll need to find a new resident to keep the Otos company and some color back to the tank. Haven't seen a Betta I love yet though...


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## nugzboltz (May 20, 2008)

Nice tank Karackle. I have a similar low-tech setup , and it's nice change of pace to see a simple setup amongst all the fancy, high-tech ones.

Did you ever have any issues with the Cabomba? I had some when I started out my tank, but got rid of it after two months because it kept shedding its leaves and clogged my filter all the time. Then it started thinning out and uprooted all the time. So I've been happy ever since :flick:


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

nugzboltz - thanks! I haven't any major problems with the Cabomba, no. It didn't fair well and got really leggy in my 20g, but it's done great in the higher lighting of my 5.5g. I'm hoping it continues to do well in my new 30g also. So far it's looking pretty good but it's only been a short time


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

*Update*

*UPDATE 8/11*

Well as I mentioned earlier today I pulled a lot of the plants from my 5.5g to put in my 30g and planted a bunch of stuff that had been floating in the 20g (some of which hadn't been doing too well when it arrived) None of it is very tall or taken hold yet so the tank is looking quite sparse at the moment. I just realized I never posted pictures of the marsilea minuta planted though, so that's in here as well. 



















And a shot of one of my Otos checking out his reflection in the glass  cracked me up:









As always, questions, suggestions, comments, concerns etc. are more than welcome! But please keep in mind, a lot of stuff has just been planted in small quantities and needs to grow in quite a bit  Enjoy!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Otos were posing for me today so I snapped a few pics, enjoy! 

Silly camera focussed on the wrong thing!









This one is quite a bit clearer: 









And the third little chubber (he's a little more shy than his buddies  :


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## demonbreedr16 (Jan 10, 2008)

Is your betta doing any better? Your tank is very nice BTW.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

*demonbreedr* - Hi, sorry I just saw your post, thanks for the concern, unfortunately, he's not doing any better but he is still with me. I'm keeping him in a separate small tank with vert little water flow (just a tiny corner air-powered filter) and some soft fake plants he can sit on near the surface. He's a trooper. The tumor doesn't appear to be getting too much larger, but it's certainly not going away either. I've been spoiling him by feeding him frozen bloodworms that he absolutely loves and trying to make what I am sure are the last days of his life happy ones, he's got the energy to launch himself after bloodworms (well any food actually, but he's most enthusiastic about the bloodworms) so I don't think he's suffering too much. It's when he stops going after food that i need to worry i think... 

Thanks for the compliment too! 

So yeah....as much as I hate to say it, this means i need a new centerpiece fish in that tank....Should I go with another Betta? Or something new this time? There are 3 Otos in the tank, and as cute as they are, I'd like someone who swims in the middle of the water column too :tongue:


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Quick update....
After all the suggestions of "interesting" fish to put in this tank now that my Betta no longer resides here, I decided I simply can't deny the fact that I love how pretty guppies are so I went with guppies. There are 2 male guppies in this tank now, a yellow cobra and a lyretail delta. 
Marsilea minuta continues to grow, the tank is still looking a little sparse, you can't see the hygro polysperma 'rosanervig' yet, it's growing low behind the DW, i might move it out front until it's taller. Also please excuse the floating plants, I'll post another update later once they've been planted  (and the tank is looking less sparse :tongue I'll also try to get some pictures of the guppies. They've been very busy playing in the bubble wall though, so no promises :hihi:


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Ok, planted the floating plants and I added a Betta. I was going to leave it with just the guppies but when I was at the LFS with my boyfriend getting fish for his tank, he noticed a gorgeous betta from across the room....he's orange with iridescent purple tips on his tail and fins! I know pet/fish store Bettas aren't the healthiest generally, but he was so gorgeous I had to have him! 

Anyway, here's the new Betta boy (the ones without the flash are blurry, but show the orange color the best, the ones with the flash show the iridescent purple the best): 




































And the guppies (again some pics are blurry but show the colors best)










lyretail delta:









yellow cobra (and a good shot of the purple edges on the betta)









Full Tank Shots, this one from above to show how much the anubias has grown since i first planted it, it started with like 5 leaves! 









FTS









and a shot of the hygro poly 'rosanervig' starting to poke out from behind the Crypt








this started out as a couple small pieces broken off the larger stems in the 30g, they were only about 1/2-1inch tall when planted a couple weeks ago, I think the tank will look really nice when they get taller!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Well, the peace lasted a few days, but when I got home from the conference I was at yesterday there was a nice chunk taken out of the tale of the Yellow guppy. No massacres by the Betta, but I guess he got a little nippy. So I removed the guppies and put them in my 30g. So it's back to a Betta + 3 Otos tank. 

In other news, the male endlers in the 30g think the yellow male guppy is a female and have been chasing him around :hihi: ah well...


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

A few quick updated tank shots, still looking really sparse, it's not growing in as fast as I hoped, I think I might add a few more plants depending on what I find at my LFS tomorrow  


















And my Betta flaring at his own reflection that he could see when I turned off the bubble wall to get pics :tongue: 


















isn't he pretty? :hihi:









I miss my pretty blue and turqoise boy in this tank (he's still kickin' in his shallow, low/no flow hospital tank) but I'm just in love with this new orange guy too! I think he's stunning with his purple trim! :biggrin:


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Wow, he really looks fantastic when he's flaring!

Can't wait for everything to grow in, I think the tank will look fabulous.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

WOW that fish is a beaut  Il fait beau (if I conjugated fait right lol)


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Lauralee - thanks! Yeah, I was excited that he was flaring at himself so I could get some good pictures :biggrin: And thanks for the encouragement on the tank! Maybe I just need to be more patient and let it grow in :tongue: I do think it has potential too....perhaps better not to mess with it much more and let it just do it's thing for a while  

clwatkins - thanks! i think he's beautiful too.....still can't believe I found him at a fish store! I'd never seen an orange Betta other than what you can find online, so I was really excite to find him  And yes, you conjugated faire correctly :hihi: (Je/tu fais, il fait....etc. )


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Just a few updated pics, I got some new plants from the SnS so the tank is looking a little fuller now!  ENJOY!


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Go Marselia







How's it filling in now?


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

hahaha yeah I like it! It's filling in slowly. The new growth is MUCH tinier than the old so it's harder to see. I also got some extra something with tiny round leaves in an SnS purchase that I planted as well. But I need to redo the whole scape now that I know which of the higher light reds are growing and which are not. I'll try to do that soon and post updated pics. i've gotta pic out the stray pieces of flame moss that are trying to carpet in between the marsilea too :tongue:


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Your betta is really pretty! Makes me wish I had one. But, no, I must resist. I'm not good with bettas for some reason. But, wow, that one is pretty!

The tanks' filling in nicely. I bet the sunset hygro will really come alive once it grows tall enough!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Thanks! Yeah he's a gorgeous boy, i still can't believe I found him in a petstore! I actually completely redid this tank the other day. Now that I have new plants from LauraLee (she sent WAY more than i was expecting!) I want to add some more sunset hygro to his tank and then I willl post pics. Hopefully I will i have time to plant the new plants tomorrow


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## fishboy87 (Feb 19, 2008)

how's that older betta doing, still alive?


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Hey Fish, no unfortunately I had to euthanize him a couple months ago. I miss him, he was a good little fish, but he had a good long life and was a good pet so once he stopped being enthusiastic about feedings I decided he was probably time to let go.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Well I finally rescaped the tank but I forgot my camera at home, I had planned to post the pics during my lunch break, but it will have to wait until I get home from work. Ugh.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Ok finally got the tank rescaped, here are some pictures of the process, sorry a lot of them are a lot blurrier than i realized when I was taking them. After I post what I have, I'll try to get a few less blurry FTSs. Enjoy!

Tank before rescaping, no real scape and the right corner had plants growing across the surface, but the rest of the tank looked empty: 









From the top, you can see the (i forget what plant this is) growing to the top and across the surface: 









Then I pulled out _everything_ 









I chopped up the overgrown plants to try and form a bush behind the DW, which I tried to move a little closer to the corner. I moved the Asian ambulia to the right side and some crypts to the center back:




































I trimmed the old growth large leaves off of the Marsilea minuta and replanted the new growth, small leaves, interspersed with the lighter colored ground cover (i think) plant that I can't remember the name of.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Then I got some plants in from LauraLeeLLBP and she sent me SUPER generous portions ass you can see floating in my 10:









I realized the ambulia was getting pushed over to by the filter flow, the grass was getting shadowed by the anubias and the crypts were getting hidden so I moved the Ambulia to the center, moved a small crypt to the right corner, moved the large crypt in front of the ambulia and the grass in front of that. And then I added a bunch of the sunset hygro from LauraLee to the left corner with the 'rosanervig' that was already there. 

It needs some time to grow in, but let me know what you think! 




























and a shot from an angle closer to what I see:









Oh and some of the ambulia came from my 30 where only the tops were doing well because the bottoms were being shaded by the other plants, so they need some time to fill back in


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Ok, I snapped a few more pictures using a stable surface and the camera timer etc. to get clearer better pictures 

FTS:









Close-ups
Right: 









Center:









Left:









Enjoy! As always, suggestions welcome!


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

That is betta heaven! He looks so beautiful and happy in your tank!

I see that your Sunset Hygro is putting out some of the pink color. The overall appearance of the plant is similar to what mine looks like in my 5g. It's a really nice, bright plant and doesn't grow anywhere near as fast in a low light/no CO2 setup which I don't mind one bit.

It's going to look good as the plants fill in. I'm not crazy about lighter colored substrates so if there was anything I would suggest, it would be to use a dark or black substrate. I think it would bring the colors out in the plants, and especially your already incredibly colored betta!

Your size perception is really well done. I find it hard to keep in mind that this tank is only 5g. It looks much bigger!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Betta heaven, I like it! Thanks! :biggrin:

Yeah, the sunset hygro is definitely nice and pink on the tops, I'm really excited it's looking so good, i love it!

Yes, I agree a darker substrate would probably look better, i think changing the color will have to wait until I move and/or relocate the tank though. And I need to get the blue and purple gravel out of the 20g first :tongue: It would definitely make the betta's gorgeous orange and purple stand out better, that is true! 

Thank you so much for the size perception comment, I really appreciate that! I always see other small tanks and think I have no eye for scale, so I'm glad to hear I'm doing something right!


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Karackle said:


> And I need to get the blue and purple gravel out of the 20g first :tongue:


Blue and purple substrate? :icon_eek: Um, yes, I have to agree. The 20g is in greater need of a substrate change out. :hihi:

Isn't it fun to see how we progress and change as we continue in this hobby?


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Complexity said:


> Blue and purple substrate? :icon_eek: Um, yes, I have to agree. The 20g is in greater need of a substrate change out. :hihi:
> 
> Isn't it fun to see how we progress and change as we continue in this hobby?


Hahaha yeah....i liked it when I started out....but I had plastic plants and some fake blue coral in the tank then too :tongue: :hihi: Definitely fun to see our progressions in this hobby, you should check out the first page of my 20g journal some time for a laugh, the way the tank started out is a far cry from what it is now!


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Karackle said:


> you should check out the first page of my 20g journal some time for a laugh


I just did.  You should put warnings on that first picture! I think I'm going to have psycholedlic nightmares all night long! :icon_eek:

Now that is what I call a make-over! You need to do one of those age-progression things where you put all your pictures together to show the changes over time. I bet yours will be really fun to see!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Complexity said:


> I just did.  You should put warnings on that first picture! I think I'm going to have psycholedlic nightmares all night long! :icon_eek:


HAHAHAHAHAHAHA I hope you didn't!!! But yes, it was quite a site. 

I'll definitely do a picture journey through time as soon as I get the new substrate in there. I have a bag of Schultz aquatic soil waiting to go into the tank and some aquarium gravel to cap it (dark brown, was in the 30g when my friend's mom had it so there should be more than enough to cap the Schultz in the 20). Now I just need to find time to do it....

And then, for sure, I will do a picture journey of the evolution of this one!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Just wanted to post an updated picture of the 5.5g, not too much has changed since the rescape, but enjoy!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Well i came home from a week away and other than needing a serious top off, the tank looks great! All the fish are happy and healthy and the plants are really starting to fill in! This tank is FINALLY starting to look full again  

I'll try to get and post some pictures after work


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Wow that's one FAT oto in the first post hahahaha nice!

What's up the smoke in the background? Is that from the camera?


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Hahahaha yeah, total fatty. I love it :tongue: 

Um....smoke? maybe you mean the bubble wall?


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Just a couple of quick tank shots I snapped tonight  

FTS









Finally starting to looks like a bush!  









My asian ambulia growing very nicely I think, hopefully it'll keep filling in nicely!  And the little piece of foxtail growing fluffily on top of a naked stem.....the whole stem was naked a couple weeks ago rescued from my 30g :tongue: So i think the new growth is a good sign


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Just wanted to post a couple (clearer than the last post) update pictures  

As always, enjoy! and any advice/suggestions/questions/comments are more than welcome! 

Straight on FTSs:


















slightly angled:









and angled so it looks more like what I see when looking at the tank (you can really see how full the corner behind the DW is getting )


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Also, I think i want to add a few more fish to this tank. It currently houses 1 Betta and 3 otos, is there anything I can put in here that 1) will (hopefully) get along with the betta and 2) won't overload the bioload in here? 

I'm terrible about remembering to fertilize this tank because my other tanks have enough bioload that they don't really need ferts, I dose every few weeks, but I was hoping to just get a little larger bioload in here to help the plants out a little. 

I'd love suggestions!


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## demonbreedr16 (Jan 10, 2008)

Why do you want more fish? I think it's at its MAXIUM bio-load. if you ABSOULUTLEY want SOMETHING in here...why not try a few African Dwarf Frogs? The stey small and cute!! I have 3 in my 10al waiting for my 29gal "Junk Tank" to be setup. Only thing is...you will have to keep up 70% Weekly WC's to prevent a crash.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

As I said, I was hoping to add a few fish to increase the fertilization for my plants, I don't think I'm at my absolute maximum bioload, but I do think a few african dwarf frogs would push me way over the edge. 

I was thinking more along the lines of a small school of one of the available nano-fish, CPDs or one of the boraras species or something like that. Something that would add a little more plant fertilization, but not so much that the system would crash. 

What I'm not sure about is whether a betta would see these little guys as snack targets.


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## demonbreedr16 (Jan 10, 2008)

Well...one that I was told was the Spotted Rasbora. They are one of the smallest cyprinds(SP?) and shouldn't add too much to the tank. The betta may eat them though. My 5gal houses one male crowntail betta only.

Maybe CPD's would push it over the edge? I'm not sure...but I would rather go with the spotted boras.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll look into the spotteds, I'm not familiar with them. 

I remember reading a thread of someone putting CPDs with a Betta but I don't remember the tank size or whether it worked....I'm off to search that too!


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## demonbreedr16 (Jan 10, 2008)

The only reason why I don't know why they'd work is I don't know the "adult" size of them. (The CPD's)

The Spotted Rasboras are very interesting IMO but a bit plain as far as coloration goes... Atleast in pics I've seen. I've never seen them in real life.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

demon - the adult size is quite small, they're considered one of the "nano-fish" I'm pretty sure people keep groups of them easily in a 5.5, just not sure how they mix with bettas.

Anyway, I haven't made any decisions yet, I'd love more input from anyone who'd like to give it on the "can i house anyone else in here, perhaps a small schooling fish" issue! 

As always, thanks in advance!


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## demonbreedr16 (Jan 10, 2008)

I don't know how they'd do with bettas either. On TFH forum,one of the Admin's suggested that the bettas might view them as a snack...but it was just an idea. 

Just out of curiosity, do you have a filter in there? I see you have a bubble wand...but no filter.


The tank is very pretty BTW!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

quick update, i added some RCS to this tank! :biggrin: I added 2 females and a male so hopefully there will be enough babies that some will escape the betta and a population can get established


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

I think it's hit or miss with Borasas and a beta. It just depends on the beta's personality. Some are more aggressive than others. I hope your RCS don't become beta snacks! Let us know how it goes.

As far as ferts, I put some fert tabs in the substrate in my little 5g with my RCS and Borasas. The plants continue to grow slow as molasses, but there is a definite difference. I have some Hygro 'Sunset' in the tank that was looking very poorly until I added the fert tabs. Now the new growth looks very nice, has great veining and even has pink coloring coming out! So you might want to try a plant tab under the stems. I cut mine in 4ths and just added a couple under the Hygro. I didn't want to overdo it with the RCS in the tank.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Thanks Vicki! Also, HI! haven't heard from you in a while! :hihi: 

Yeah, I think I need to get some fert tabs in there, some of the plants seem very happy, some (like the sunset) appear to need a boost!  

So far the RCS have not become Betta snacks, not the adults anyway, I tried to make sure and put 3 good sized adults in there to deter him from snacking (2f, 1m) so that hopefully if the females both have babies, there will be at least a few that survive long enough to not be Betta bite-size anymore!


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Sounds great! If all goes well with your trial, I might consider getting a beta for my little tank. I have a full colony of RCS in there so even if the beta wanted to snack, there's too many for him to get them all!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Hahaha excellent! I'm glad I can be the guinea pig! :hihi: So far all 3 adults are still wandering around and look unharmed, so I am taking that as a good sign. Haven't seen any babies yet but they'd be ITTY BITTY still so it's possible they're in there....or they got sucked into the filter...i should check that.....I'm guessing as long as there are places to hide then at least _some_ should survive....i hope! 

Also, how have you been? Long time no "see", I hope all is well!


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

I'm great! I missed all of you so much. I just got busy, and I knew if I logged onto the board, I'd never get anything done. I still have a ton to do, but I couldn't stay away any longer.

I was thinking that my RCS tank would be perfect for a beta because I have a sponge covering the intake which slows the entire filtration down a bit. It would be the perfect flow for a beta. Plus, I really love betas. I just had two die on me so I stayed away from them for a long time. Or maybe I'll get something else. I don't know. That tank just needs something more than RCS and a few Borasas (both of which are about the same pink/red color). A colorful beta would be a nice accent.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Glad to hear you are great! Good busy is always good! We missed you too though! I was just thinking about you and wondering where you'd gone the other day  But i definitely know the feeling, if I'm busy, as much as I hate it, I can't open up the forum here or I'm lost for the day! 

Yeah I find that the 5g is the perfect size for a Betta, doesn't take up a lot of room but gives the Betta plenty of room to swim and move and you really get to see their personalities. And the RCS are still doing well, or at least all 3 are still in there and walking around!


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

How are the RCS doing with the betta? Has the betta even noticed them?


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

So far it doesn't seem that he has noticed them, it's been a couple weeks and all is still well! The shrimp have started venturing out in the open more too, I saw one climbing up on the plants yesterday, so it seems that the Betta leaves them alone  So so far, so good! it definitely adds some nice color to the tank


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

I bet it does (add color)! Let's hope your betta never does think of them as food.

Bettas are so different in personality you never know how they'll react most of the time. Some are just the sweetest things while others certainly want to let you know who's boss.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Definitely does add color! The Betta adds nice orange near the top, the RCS add nice red on the bottom  

Bettas definitely have different personalities, my other one was the sweetest boy, never went after the otos or anything, this one has chased away otos on occasion and flares at his own reflection a lot, but has left the shrimp alone. I think if you're adding the Betta to an established RCS colony and keep him well fed though, you should probably be ok


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Sounds really pretty! You'll have to take some pictures to show it off!

I had a really sweet betta that I really loved. I then got a second betta, named him after someone I care about, and that betta turned out to be pretty mean. He basically just wanted his food, and he made sure it was _his_ food! He was nothing like his namesake!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

I will try to get some good shots, but I'm not sure there are enough RCS to show the pretty color in a picture :tongue: But I will see what I can do!


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

I know what. I'll show you mine if you show me yours first. :hihi:

Actually, I'm feeling lazy today. I'm not doing anything but relaxing. I even found a place to get CO2, but didn't want to rush off to get it. I'll get it tomorrow. So that's why I didn't take pictures today. It's just one of those lazy Sunday days.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Definitely a lazy sunday, i'll show you mine if you show me yours.....but I might be too lazy until tomorrow also to actually snap the pics


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

If I take my pics, you'll have to take yours! You can't tease me with talking about the beautiful colors and then not show them to me! :hihi:


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Heehee I'll definitely take the pictures either tonight or tomorrow, I promise! Can't promise that all the pretty colors will show up though, there are only 3 RCS in there :hihi:


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

That's okay, I'll forgive you if there's just a couple of reddish spots in the pictures.

Actually, I know you take nice pictures so I know there will be more than spots!

I will do my best to get pictures of my tanks tomorrow, too. I need to get a new camera someday. Mine used to be the latest and greatest thing, but now it's decades old!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Okie doke, well, these are NOT my best shots....I was rushing a little bit because I had a lot of cleaning to do today (my roommate invited people over for dinner / games / movies) so I took these rather on the fly with no stabilization setup, but here's what I got....only one little lady came out of hiding for the pictures, she's on the bottom  

FTS shots (blurry....sorry....i need a new camera too....mine isn't taking good pics recently.....):


















And a close-up of her (unfortunately the camera focused on the plants instead of the shrimp...grrrrrr.....)


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Wow, is she beautiful! And your betta is striking. No kidding they both add color.

Have you ever thought about using black substrate? My mind is imagining just how much more those colors would pop out with a black substrate as a background of sorts.

I think if your betta isn't going after the RCS by now, then he probably won't ever. That shrimp is very obvious and in the clear. So if the betta wanted to get it, it definitely could. So since he isn't, you may have good luck with this! The true test will be if the betta will ignore the baby shrimp. If so, then you have it made.

I love the pictures! I will have to delay mine for an extra day. I overslept this morning so I didn't get the CO2 until this afternoon. Then I ran a bunch of errands. I just got home, and haven't even connected the CO2 yet. I might try to get some pictures later.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Thank you! Yes, they are definitely pretty colors. I agree that black would look better for the substrate, make the colors, especially of the shrimp, stand out, but all I have that is black is regular gravel, and I don't think I have much of that left...perhaps when I finally get around to changing the substrate in my 20g I'll use some of the Schultz Aquatic Soil in the 5g also as the bottom layer and black gravel as the top....or maybe i'll just drop $5 on a small back of plain black gravel (i can't justify spending $30 on a bag of eco-complete that i won't even use half of to fill the 5g right now). Maybe I'll suck it up and get a bag of eco to share between the 5 and the 20 though.....hmm.....:tongue:

But yeah, I'm thinking now that they've started venturing out into the wide open they've figured out that they're not in danger of getting eaten so the betta must be leaving them alone, so I'm hopeful!  

Can't wait to see your pictures! But I do understand how that kind of day goes! I slept in this morning too :hihi:


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

I have some extra eco-complete, but I don't know if it's any good anymore. When I moved the tanks, I bought new eco-complete because I had gotten the "bad" bags that had different colored pieces, not all black.

I bagged all the old eco-complete, and when I moved, I just put the bags on my back patio. Overnight, raccoons got into a couple of the bags! I was going to clean it up, but my husband did it for me... only he didn't listen to what I said to do.

He thought I was going to throw it all out when I had said I was going to throw out only the bags that the raccoons opened up.

So when I went to go get some, I couldn't find it. Asking my husband, that's when I discovered that he had put it all in an open trash can (that now has rain water and bugs in it)! :icon_eek:

I got the bags that were still closed, rinsed it off very well, and then put it in my 20Long. That's where my extra plants are at the moment. I tested the substrate with snails, and it's not bothering them! And the plants seem to be doing good!

So I can offer you some of that eco-complete with the caution to use it at your own risk. If you wait long enough, I can send you some that I'm using in the 20Long right now. Or I can rinse some from a closed bag and send it to you.

Dontcha just love it when hubbies attempt to be so helpful! :hihi:


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

That's very generous of you! I guess you really do want to see this tank with black substrate! I must admit, I'd love to see it with black substrate also to really make the RCS standout! 

I may just take you up on that, if the 20L seems to be doing fine, as long as it's the stuff from one of the closed bags, then I think it's a safe bet to use it!  I wonder how much the shipping would be though, probably steep? (i would of course be willing to cover the shipping charges). 

And yes....men are always SO helpful :tongue:....sigh.....they do try though  :hihi:


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

I think what I would give you is what I'm currently using in my 20Long for my extra plants. I know what stuff is good. And it won't hurt that it's been in a tank with ferts in the water column and plant tabs!

Can you wait a couple of months? I need to clear out some of the plants that are in there now. I set that tank up mainly to hold the plants while the weather was too cold for shipping and while I was too busy to get everything done. I'm hoping to clear out a lot of what's in there in the next 2-3 months. If you can wait until then, I can give you that eco-complete.

Otherwise, I can get some of the other stuff now. I'd be sure to snail test it before shipping it. Do you mind if it has Mylasian Trumpet Snails?

I think we can get away with shipping it with a flat rate box. I just ordered a bunch of different boxes from USPS so I can start getting ready to ship stuff in a couple of weeks.

Let me know how much you want and if you want it now from the bags outside or if you'd rather wait to get what I'm using right now. Personally, I'd suggest using what I'm using now since I know it's good.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Again, that is very generous of you! 

I think I could actually wait a few months for the stuff you're using now since it is very likely that i will be moving in a couple of months, so that might actually work out perfectly  Thanks! 

As for news of this tank, it's doing well, the Betta is doing well, the Otos are good and the RCS are good! I haven't seen any shrimplets yet, but that doesn't mean they're not in there. It's time to clean the filter and I'm wondering what i'll find in there as far as baby shrimp go! :hihi: 

as with all of the tanks, i'll try to get pictures of this one in the next couple days to bring on vacation with me for updating purposes!


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

I was wondering about your shrimp! Good to hear they're doing well. Not seeing babies doesn't surprise me as I can't see the babies in my own tank because they are just too darn small.

If you're going to move, then that's the best time to switch out the substrate. Sounds like the timing works out well for us both. Good! The only caution is that the tank with the substrate has just shown me that it has snails, but I'm considering getting some loaches for that tank (QT in there) which I can then move to another tank later. I'm putting these plants in my own tanks and do not want the snails! MTS are okay, but not any other kind (pond or ramshorn). I may just stick my 3 remaining chain loaches in there to fatten them up on the snails. That would also ensure that the substrate is healthy for fish.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I am glad to see you and Complexity back! I love hearing you guys banter back and forth. You guys really encouraged me in the beginning - so thank you! How is the tank coming along? Did you take any pictures lately?


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Thanks, sewingalot! I enjoy the banter, as well.

The tank's coming along pretty well. I neglected it for awhile so the plants suffered, but they're coming back nicely. I've taken some pictures, but I haven't posted them yet. I'll update my sig when I get some new pics.

I just looked at your journal, and you have really come a long way! What amazing progress in such a short time! From plastic to planted in no time at all! :smile: I subscribed to your journal so I can keep up with your updates now. Good luck with the algae. It'll make it all the sweeter when you're finally rid of it.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I look forward to seeing the updates. I am glad to hear your plants are recovering. Haha! I thought you said "It'll make it all the sweater. . ." I wouldn't doubt it with the fuzz growing in my tank. Thanks for the compliments. Now let's try to bully Karackle into updating her pictures as well. Hint, hint. Nudge, nudge.


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Sweater! You have been in the tanks too long! :icon_lol:

I'd love to pester Karackle for pictures, but since I've posted less than she has, I think I'm not in the right position to be pestering.

So can I beg? :hihi:


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Complexity said:


> Sweater! You have been in the tanks too long! :icon_lol:
> 
> I'd love to pester Karackle for pictures, but since I've posted less than she has, I think I'm not in the right position to be pestering.
> 
> So can I beg? :hihi:


Yes, too long! I actually had prunny fingers last time. You beg and I'll pester. Oh Kaaaaaraaaackle - updates please! I've missed your tank. My eyes are hurting looking for the pictures. :icon_eek: :icon_eek: :icon_eek: :icon_eek: :icon_eek:


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

I finally posted a few pictures of my 29g so I have pestering rights for a little while.

Oh, Karackle! I posted some pics, and I'd love to see some from your tank, too! It's been a month already. Time for an update. :hihi:


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

hahahaha You guys! Sorry! I've been BUSY I am sitting in the dark right now as parting of this lighting research experiment where I have to stay awake for 27 hours and they expose me to different colors of light and then see how alert i am or something. So no pictures today, but I will TRY to get them tomorrow (after I wake up) and post a few quickly before I leave! 

Sewing - thanks for the compliment and I am so glad we influenced you in a positive way! I enjoy the banter as well  

i'll take a look at both of your updates next time i get a break here


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Sounds like fun, sitting in the dark for a light research experiment. Is this part of your new job? I hope you have a great nap later! I look forward to the pictures.


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Lighting research experiment? Sounds interesting!! How did you end up doing that?

Okay, since it's in the interest of science, I'll let you slide... THIS TIME. But I expect pictures as soon as you are awake and no longer seeing colors before your eyes. :hihi:


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

hahahaha *Sewing & Vicki*I am so sorry, I did the research thing, went to bed, woke up, spent the night packing and hanging out with the boy until he drove me to the airport at 4 in the morning on sunday so there was not a lot of time for picture taking, besides, I didn't end up bringing my computer with me because i wasn't sure what the internet access would be. No, the lighting research is not part of my new job, but i did find it through my job, i work at a college and there is a whole lighting research center and they send out e-mails to faculty, staff and students when they need test subjects. Anyway, when I got back weds night i went straight to bed, worked thursday, baked all of thursday evening for a fundraiser to get a dog park in my town, had to be in bed at 10 for day 2 of the lighting research project. Beautiful weekend meant lots of time outside with the dogs at the dog park, and today I finally finally have some time for updates (VERY slow day at work and the boss isn't here :tongue So I have no pictures at the moment, but I will get them this evening!

All is still well and about the same in this tank. Betta is still alive and well and happy and beautiful, haven't checked closely yet for RCS babies but I'd guess they're in there :hihi: The adults are still in there, 2 females and a male, so I'd assume there are babies somewhere. The plants are still good, my little bush in the back corner is filling in nicely, I need to get something in the right corner, but stuff doesn't seem to grow there, I'm thinking I might just get a tall crypt of some kind, or some wisteria which used to grow nicely there. I'm actually almost thinking I liked the older, very foresty incarnations of this tank better, when it was simple with it's anubias on the DW, a large stand of Wisteria on one side and Cabomba on the other, and a few scattered Crypt wendtiis. The ambulia is doing well in this tank, and I forget what plants is in the back right corner behind the DW, but that's filling in well too, so perhaps it's just the bare back left corner and the ground cover that refuses to cover that is irking me. I might pull the ground cover and random plants that I tried to see if they would grow, find something for the back left and leave it there, something in between the current and the original incarnations. I'd love suggestions on this. 

Once again, sorry for the ridiculously long post! And stay tuned for pics!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Ok, as promised, PICTURES! Well, picture. This tank had a bit of a lighting issue because i didn't realize how bad the algae on the glass canopy had gotten :icon_redf so the ambulia took a bit of a hit. And for some reason all of a sudden plants refuse to grow on the left side of the tank, even though the least algae is on the edges. The bush on the right is still looking good though, so that's a plus. I need to redo this tank again I think though, I'm not entirely happy with it. 

Anyway, here is the picture, enjoy!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Sorry, no new pictures, I didn't get a chance to do any rearranging, as luck would have it, life got in the way. 

I'm still looking for any scaping suggestions though! thanks!


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

I completely understand about life getting in the way of new pics!

Not sure what to suggest as a new scape, but thought I'd share that I'm using fert tabs in my very low light 5g, and they seem to be helping the plants. Because the tank is so small, I only have about 1" of substrate. So I cut the fert tabs into about 1/4, and then I add one close to each plant. I think this is what helped my Sunset Hygro start growing better leaves with the tops getting a pinkish red color!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Have you thought about moving the driftwood to the left in front of the heater with the fat end toward the back of the tank? I think it could look cool like that. I am liking the plants a lot.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Vicki - Hahaha yes, life does have a way of getting IN the way! and yes, I have used fert tabs, I (kind of) recently ran out though (and i think the ones i had were maybe on the crappy side?) What kind of fert tabs do you use and where do you get them? I'd love to get some that aren't too expensive and that come more than 10-20 per container. 

Sara - I think the DW is ugly from the other side so I'd have to move so that the fat end is toward the front, but the anubias on it is so big now that that might actually not look too bad, and it would be nice to mask the heater. I like the look of the plants i have behind the DW, but I could probably find a nice rock or other small piece of DW to put in front of them, or I could put a crypt there maybe...I'll have to look into that, it's not a bad idea...and it might not be bad to get the anubias near the back of the tank now that it is so big....thanks for the suggestion! Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEORGE!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I don't know what Vicki uses, but I have found Jobe's plant sticks do a great job. You can't beat the price, either. Haha, I have the same problem with my driftwood. That's why it is hiding in the tank behind everything! George says "tanks!" He is definitely getting the old man look. Aren't bettas awesome? That's what made me fall in love with your tank.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

I'll have to look up Jobe's, where do you get them? 

Yes DW can be a pain when it doesn't feel like looking pretty at any angle i choose for it! But man, that anubias really has gotten big and would probably do ok pushed to the back as more of a background plant now. I'll see what I can do!  

Heehee old man look, i can picture it! I love it.  Bettas definitely are awesome, I love your Avatars! George is so pretty! Do you have a journal or thread of any kind with pictures of his tank? or does he live in the 55? I'd love to see a picture of his tank, feel free to post it here if you don't have a thread / journal for it! :hihi: Speaking of avatars, I suppose I really should change mine since it's a picture of my Betta who passed away, but i just love how he's peaking out of the plants like that! Perhaps if I can get a good picture of orange boy I'll switch it, i think i'll leave it until then :tongue: I'm glad someone is in love with my tank by the by, because I am not very much at the moment :icon_lol: it seems so empty to me! I plan on fixing that this week though :biggrin:


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Hey, your tank is what inspired me to upgrade George's digs. I actually teared up when I read about you having to euthanize him. I love that picture, by the way. He looks really happy there.

Jobe's can be found anywhere: http://www.easygardener.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=129. You can even get them at Walmart in the plant section. As long as they are fully covered, you can use them in the tank. I get the fern and palm, there is an awesome journal out there that uses them. Just a warning, some claim they cause algae if they get uncovered. I never had a problem, but I don't have any diggers, either. Just research them. I still say for 97 cents, you can't be the price.

I actually set up a journal today for George - you can find the link in my signature. I am home sick, so I had some spare time. The water is cloudy in the last set of pictures since I was stirring up the unwashed flourite. (Didn't know I was supposed to rinse it in the beginning, lol!)

Your orange betta looked cool when he flared in the first set of pictures you took of him. Do you ever show him a mirror? George loves to "win" fights that way. :hihi:


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Sara - Yay for inspiring you then!  WAHOO! I added some guppy grass that I pulled from my 20g to make more hiding room for Bettastic (that's what i call him :tongue I will replace it when I get more plants, but it should do for now!  

I teared up when I had to euthanize the poor thing. Thanks, I love that picture too. That was his cabomba bed he used to sleep in....before the cabomba got too leggy and ugly, then he switched to sleeping in the Wisteria  Wow, you really CAN'T beat that price on the Jobe's! Heehee I'll have to look more into it with regard to small planted tanks, but thanks for the idea!  Cool cool! I looked at George's journal, I love it, I commented there  Bettastic flares at himself in his reflection on the back of the tank :hihi: 

So, i figured out how to set the shutterspeed on my camera by accident and managed to shoot some great pictures of my little guy. 

Enjoy! 

He is swimming up to get some more dinner









And here he is eating his dinner of live baby brine shrimp by picking them off the glass (you can see them in the picture too)









He says "woah! didn't see you there watching me eat"









"what ah...whatcha got going on there? your face looks weird. what is that rectangular thing in front of it?"









"ok seriously now, why are you still watching me? I was trying to eat!"









That's all for now 
*







 Play by FoxSaver®

*


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

I didn't know you could use Jobe's stick ferts in a tank? I may try that some day.

Kara, I bought some of the Wonder Gro Tablets, but the only tank I saw any change in was my little 5g. It might be because I don't dose that tank with any ferts at all while the EI method already gives my plants in the other tanks all they need so giving them more didn't seem to do much.

I have seen an improvement in my plants when I've used the Flourish Tabs. The plants seem to grow faster and stronger when I use them.


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Wow, I love your pictures! You're not kidding, you got some really good ones! I think the 3rd one is my favorite. I love how he's peeking through the plants. Perfect focus on it, too!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Vicki, thanks for the info! I'll look into those options as well  I'd like to find out more about the Jobe's, I worry a little about using non-planted tank specific fertilizer in such a small tank as my 5.5g, so a little more research might be at hand :tongue:


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Thanks! I think that one is my favorite too, though I think the clearest focus is the one where he is picking the brine shrimp off the wall, but the peeking through the plants might just have to be my new avatar


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Yeah, I'm not sure how the peeking one would look once resized to an avatar, but if it doesn't turn out good, then I vote for #2 which I think is the one you mentioned, as well. Or you can use #1 if you rotated the pic and cropped it so the plants won't look funny being sideways.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

heeheehee all excellent points, I will have to play with the various pictures and see what works best


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Complexity said:


> I didn't know you could use Jobe's stick ferts in a tank? I may try that some day.
> 
> Kara, I bought some of the Wonder Gro Tablets, but the only tank I saw any change in was my little 5g. It might be because I don't dose that tank with any ferts at all while the EI method already gives my plants in the other tanks all they need so giving them more didn't seem to do much.
> 
> I have seen an improvement in my plants when I've used the Flourish Tabs. The plants seem to grow faster and stronger when I use them.


I saw that you can use them on Chuck's Planted aquarium http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_fertilizer_intro.htm. I used the fern and palm and also, I used these http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=18673 which were for ponds. However, I didn't use them that long, so I would definitely look up details. Some are for and some are against them.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

:eek5: Soooooooooooo handsome. Are you sure I can't have him? :redface:

I feel your pain with euthanasia. I just lost the battle with my platty that had dropsy. His dropsy got better, but he just started laying on his side barely moving. I actually had to get my husband to euthanize the poor guy because I was so teary-eyed. :icon_cry:

Your tank is looking awesome. How often do you feed Bettastic brine shrimp. Cool name, by the way.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

YIKES!!! 

I got home today and my bettas was sitting near the surface of his tank. I thought he was dead at first but luckily he wasn't. UNluckily the water was nearly 100 degrees! I noticed it was high yesterday after a 90degree day so i turned the heater down. Apparently i turned it up! 

I quickly did a 50% water change with some cooler water to cool him back off. Is there anything else I should do? Is there anything I should keep an eye on or out for as a repercussion? 

Any input would be appreciated! 

thanks!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Oh no! I would just keep an eye on him and put in extra air if possible to get the oxygen back up. Luckily, they like higher than normal temperatures, so I think he will be just fine.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Yeah, he was floating near the top (i imagine in order to breath) so I got nervous, but as soon as I put in cool water, he was swimming around like nothing was wrong. 

I think I'll have to keep a closer eye on the plants to watch out for die-off due to high temps so i don't get an ammonia spike.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Oops! I never updated this, Mr. Bettastic is doing well, but I did lose a lot of plants (including flame moss) during the temp spike. Bummer. But I am going to get some major renovations done in the next couple of days with the gorgeous plants from *SewingAlot *(thanks again!) that still need homes, so stay tuned!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Ugh, sucks about the moss. More importantly how is Bettatastic doing with the temperature? Hopefully well.

Edit - you answered my question, duh. :icon_roll


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Sad day, Mr. Bettastic passed away, I'm not sure if it was residual trauma from the heat spike or what. I check parameters, they were fine, temp was fine. He'd been lethargic for a few days so I checked everything, temp was a LITTLE higher than it had beem from the first few days of heat we've had, but nothing extreme for sure. He was very beautiful and died before his time. He will be missed. 

The other sad thing about this is that it means I will be shutting down this tank now in preparation for the move in August I am downsizing my number of tanks (TEMPORARILY) I will set this one or the 10 back up after the move as a Betta tank because I love having a Betta! For now, RIP Bettastic and Tank!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Sad day, indeed! I am sorry to hear about Mr Bettastic. He was such a great guy, very beautiful and vibrant.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Thank you for the condolences, he will be sorely missed! As will this tank...it was the first tank I set up intentionally as a planted before I really knew what I was doing (inert gravel...silly me!) I am sure it's next incarnation will be even better and that much more fun now I know what I am doing (well....kind of anyway). 

Thanks for all of the encouragement and advice along the way everyone! My little 5.5 and I will be back some time in the fall after the move


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