# one office, three tanks



## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

INDEX of Full Tank Shots (by post number):
6g: 1, 18, 75, 97
75g: 1, 18, 48, 50, 51, *64*, 75, 97, 104, 113, 117, 119
220g: 18, 19, 23, 36, 41, 51, *66* , *75*, 97, 113, 117, 119, 120, 126, 127, 142, 146

I've had a 75 gallon tank in my office for maybe 8 years, but when I moved to a new and larger office two months ago, it was time to add some tanks. Surely a Fluval Edge would not look out of place. And oh, maybe that wall could have a 220 with altums!

This journal is really about setting up the 220, but that process is effecting the other tanks - plants are being moved around - so this journal will be about the whole menagerie.

So here is the original 75, two months into a fresh design. This is the only tank of the 3 with C02 injection. It currently houses a mated pair of angels, a school of rummy nose tetras, some Amano shrimp and 6 kuhli loach.










The C. balansae and java ferns will be coming out for the 220, while the Myriophyllum mattogrossense is being encouraged to fill the entire back corner to hide equipment. The hair grass needs a trim I know. The school of tetras will likely be enlarged and move to the 220 

Here is the 6g Edge on top of a file cabinet near a window: 










It has cherry shrimp and white cloud minnows. The java fern in there will be moved and I need a background plant. Maybe Blyxa japonica? Flame moss on the rocks is beginning to fill in. This tank has an LED lighting upgrade, but it is still a low light tank without heat. The window is north facing, so no direct sunlight.

And the elephant in the room as viewed from the desk:










The walnut stand build is documented here: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=182000

The other view, from the corner you just looked at:


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## whiteblaze 27 (Apr 17, 2012)

the tanks look sweet!


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## Vermino (Jun 14, 2012)

s***, forget the tanks - that view looks great!


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## wetbizquit (Jul 9, 2006)

nice office, i have 5 in mine  but none are up to 220 dang son! it looks awesome so far, and i have all black furniture in mine as well. cant help the sleek look its top notch

A+ for the office
A+ for having tanks in your office


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## DishyFishy (Jul 17, 2011)

NICE office. You have an awesome view between the windows and the fish tanks.


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## jmowbray (Dec 20, 2009)

What's in all the boxes......?


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

Nice office, are you hiring?
:biggrin:


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

jmowbray said:


> What's in all the boxes......?


I took the picture before installing the lights and filters and substrate. Very few boxes remain. 

Tackling a large tank is WAAAAY more work than a small one....


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## meowschwitz (Sep 6, 2011)

tomfromstlouis said:


> Tackling a large tank is WAAAAY more work than a small one....


That's debatable. :flick:

By the way, sweet office with an amazing view. Lucky you with all that room for tanks.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

One office, three tanks..... great title. Way better than two girls, one cup...lol. Sorry, couldn't help myself. I'm jealous.


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## akdylpickles (Feb 21, 2011)

I hope the floor can support that 220!


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## sc91006 (Nov 8, 2011)

Wow great view, super jealous of all the tanks. BTW, what's up with all those Eheim filters, are they for the 220? Also what's in the clear tubes, I'm guessing plants for the big mama.


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

Very nice work on your stand you built. The only problem I forsee is how do you get any work done? I would be too distracted looking at the tanks all day long.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

akdylpickles said:


> I hope the floor can support that 220!


Me too! Concrete slab high rises should be ideal for large tanks.

The 220 will get two canister filters. I am purposely"over filtering". Hooking up the filtration is my next step. Once I get some circulation, I think I'll dump some ammonia in there to start the cycling process.

The big plastic boxes had washed substrate in them. Maybe I should take another picture of the cleaner office.


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## akdylpickles (Feb 21, 2011)

If I may ask, what is your job? most people wont let you have three tanks in your office haha


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## green_valley (Sep 14, 2011)

akdylpickles said:


> If I may ask, what is your job? most people wont let you have three tanks in your office haha


Tom is a BOSS. roud:roud:

Awesome tanks Tom.............


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

I was an investment broker for a large firm. Now I am an independent broker clearing trades through a large firm geared towards independents. So, I am now self employed with a shared assistant. I get to make the rules! 

I live nearby and come in weekends for tank maintenance.

As for the distracting views, I spend lots of time on the phone and it helps to have a relaxing scene for the eyes.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

Got into the office this weekend to install canister filter #2 on the 220. Also pulled plants from the smaller tanks that do not belong in them any more and put them for now in the 220. I ordered plants Friday and will take a stab at an aquascape when they arrive, so the arrangement now is temporary. I will likely have some Cardamine lyrata and Myriophyllum mattogrosense available free to a good home some time this coming week.

Full tank shots:










75 before some trimming:










75 after trim:










220, cloudy from adding some substrate, but with the green you can start to get an idea of what this can look like:


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

I write this as I wait for the 220 water change. I am changing ~80% and hope to add some of the rummynose tetras from the 75 to the 220 along with some Seachem Stability to speed up the cycling. The main reason I cannot wait is the altums arrived and the filter on the 75 is only working at 30% and so I want to lower the bioload there as much as I can until my Eheim gasket gets here and I can get the filtration back up to what it should be. Cloudy water and expensive fish are not a good idea. 

(There is never a good time for equipment issues, but this is particularly annoying. The filter is pumping very little flow and is not clogged anywhere. Research shows that the gasket must leak a little - it spits some water when priming - not enough for water to come out, but enough to break the vacuum that these things prefer. At least that is my current theory.)

As for the altums, they are tiny and not all of them made it, but the 6 that are schooling around are eating heartily and are cute as can be. Stress was above normal on the shipment since the USPS took two days for a guaranteed overnight delivery. I am not much of a tank photographer.


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## combswillie (Apr 3, 2012)

I have a 2.5 gallon and 5 gallon in my office. Time to grow up and go 200+!! Your tanks and office look great!


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## Jegli09 (Jul 25, 2012)

How do you ever get work done ha


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## izabella87 (Apr 21, 2012)

What a dream office .. i wouldnt return home lol


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

Frankly, I am forced to ignore the tank views more often than I like during the day. Fortunately, my office and home are a mile from each other, so additional trips for maintenance or for taking the pictures below are no problem.

I need to lower the pH in the 220 to bring in the altums. I did not fully appreciate this when my first batch arrived and I have fewer than ideal as a result. :icon_sad: Hopefully I am learning. I put peat moss into one of the canisters and got the pH to go from 7.6 to 7.0. KH is around 80 and TDS is a whopping 420. It looks like I need to dose some muriatic acid to get to below 6.0. I will experiment carefully.

Meanwhile, pictures for your enjoyment:

Rare 220 FTS with no reflections (taken at night):










Here is an side view showing the effect of the peat on water color: 










The "valley" on the right third of the tank shows a few bits of Marsilea getting established:










I have a Crinum calistratum left of the central driftwood piece with C. balansae nearby. In the back on the right you can see the melting leaves of the primary background plant Echinodorus martii. I presume some green shoots will emerge soon, but it is not looking very good now.










The 220 has a school of rummynose tetras, some kuhli loach, cherry shrimp and a couple amano shrimp I captured from the 75. I am having difficulty capturing the last 8 tetras from the 75.:icon_roll The two adult P. scalare angels will probably stay in the only home they have known and perhaps their egg laying will resume and succeed. Perhaps. Here they are hamming it up with their two adopted kids:










Altums have nice form, eh?


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

My efforts in lowering the pH of the big tank have been successful, so I went ahead and ordered more altums. These are from the same import as the the others, from Rio Inirida, an Orinoco tributary on the border of Columbia and Venezuela. I will take a fresh picture when they arrive.

All of the non-scavengers are out of the 75 and in the 220, so the tetra school numbers ~45. The two mature angels (P. scalare) enjoyed the upgrade enough to spawn on a filter tube. I doubt the tetras will let many free swim for long.

So the 75 was relatively empty, with only banded kuhli loaches and amano shrimp and a bazillion snails (from my altum feeding efforts). I have some assassin snails on the way and feeding has been cut back. I also added a dozen forktail rainbows (psuedomugil furcata) and they seem to like their new home. I am open to other stocking ideas. I am half committed to some endlers but am willing to hear any other smaller fish that like the middle or upper parts of the water column. The 75 will always be a garden that happens to have fish, so the fish need not be centerpieces like angels tend to be.

Not much news on the 6g. Still 4 white clouds and a growing population of cherry shrimps.

Fresh pictures on all the above within a week!


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## Robotponys (Sep 7, 2011)

Wow love these tanks! Especially the 220, great hard/wood scape.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

Are these tanks tax write offs? 
Nice work.


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## Pink_Hat (Sep 23, 2012)

Jegli09 said:


> How do you ever get work done ha


 That is hilarious. That is exactly what I was thinking.


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## Plant keeper (Jan 27, 2011)

wow nice tank


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## ony (Apr 1, 2011)

Am I the only one to see the elephant in the room here? 

Osmotic pressure has a far bigger impact on the health and life expectancy of the fish so I would be concentrating on altering TDS before worrying about details like PH. If you are changing the TDS though endlers would be a bad choice as they need hard water to really thrive and show their best colours.

Awesome scapes BTW, especially the 220


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## mistahoo (Apr 25, 2012)

Really nice! I like the new tank and that office view! Do you find maintenance on your fluval edge easy? I've heard a lot of complaints about the small opening.

Sent from my spaceship using Tapatalk 2.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

ony said:


> Am I the only one to see the elephant in the room here?
> 
> Osmotic pressure has a far bigger impact on the health and life expectancy of the fish so I would be concentrating on altering TDS before worrying about details like PH. If you are changing the TDS though endlers would be a bad choice as they need hard water to really thrive and show their best colours.
> 
> Awesome scapes BTW, especially the 220


Thank you all for the nice comments. It is great to get such commentary from one's peers; most visitors just either ignore them (it's true!), or say nothing at all. I've had other fishkeepers see them and ask a couple questions and then say nothing; I took that as a compliment.

As for changing the pH, I am doing so (in the 220 only) at the strong urging of the fish importer after an expensive failure. He is successfully keeping hundreds of altums; so far, I am not. The lower pH will not be permanent (I hope), but raising it back will be gradual and after a few weeks of healthy acclimation. I cannot debate your point knowledgeably. At this point I am taking orders from someone who knows more than I do.

As for taxes, this will be my first year of being able to deduct office decor expenses. Seems to me that a few costs might make their way onto the return. :smile:


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

mistahoo said:


> Really nice! I like the new tank and that office view! Do you find maintenance on your fluval edge easy? I've heard a lot of complaints about the small opening.
> 
> Sent from my spaceship using Tapatalk 2.


The small opening changes two things: 1 - Keeping the tank full to the opening means you cannot stick your hand in without water spilling out, so maintenance can only happen during a water change. This is not a big deal unless you like to constantly get wet like I seem to do. 2 - It is not difficult to reach corners unless you stick a big rock on one side like I did. The corner behind it is now impossible to service at all. 

These tradeoffs (some self inflicted) are worthwhile to get the Edge's unique and attractive look. In a setting like mine it was important to avoid a utilitarian fish room vibe.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Awesome tanks, great looking office! 
Can you actually get work done? My fingers would constantly be wet from tank tinkering all day.


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## Davelybob (Aug 23, 2012)

Do you mind if I ask what part of St. Louis this is located? I was wondering because 1) the view out your windows is awesome, lots of greenery, but no landmarks I could pick out and 2) I'm wondering how your water compares to mine- I've lived in a few different parts of North County and the water was always pretty soft but now I'm in St. Ann and it is hard as hell, guessing TDS is somewhere around yours, I don't have a good test kit, just some crappy 5-in-1 strips and according to those GH is off the scale. 

Thanks for indulging my curiosity, I'm totally new at this, I just set up my first real tank in July, I only had a little Betta tank before that.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

Tanks are in Clayton. The view is looking west and north from the NW corner of Clayton.

My TDS is around 480.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

More pictures. The altum shipment was delayed and they will be added this coming week, but replacement sword plants and a little trimming gives us this FTS:










Left side:










Center:










Right side:










Closer look at the valley with two altums:










I thought this came out interesting. The rummy school sort of steals the show now:










It is too early to worry about hiding the equipment behind the background swords, but once the plants grow I expect to move the filter tubes into a less obvious visual role. Grow the plants and add some more angels; that's what is ahead.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

Wow! Beautiful! Your Rummynose are displaying beautifully with the great setup. I love how you designed the rocks with the driftwood. Gorgeous!


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## DeLaFe (Sep 11, 2012)

You are an artist. LOVE the aquascape!

Alfred


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## MyMonkey (Jul 17, 2007)

Impressive! And I was thrilled with my 90 gallon in my waiting area! :icon_eek:


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## kalawai2000 (Jan 15, 2011)

Tom the Big Tank is awesome Aquascape is impressive! I can't wait till the Altums get bigger.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

Big day today: my importer finally delivered ten more altums! They came half medium sized and half small. The smalls are just growing angelfish finnage - they are pretty darn cute and pretty darn small - the same size that my first batch came as. Pictures below show all 3 sizes in the big tank.

Without further adieu, Full Tank Shot:










Next are altum pictures. The largest are one of the two I have left from the purchase maybe two and one half months back. They came as the same size as the smallest ones you see in these pictures. These things grow quickly! (Yes I know the back wall could using scraping).



















I thought this was kind of amazing. From the size at lower left to the size behind the leaf in 3 months!










Enough on fish; this is also about plants. The newer swords I added a few weeks back seem to be doing okay. Hooray. But to be honest I could use some advice or encouragement on several plants. Two of the three plants I chose for climbing on the driftwood are not thriving, which is why the wisteria (not a part of the long term plan at all) is still on the wood. It is also there to help get the tank through the first few months without severe algae, and you can see I am having some algae. I tied several bits of bolbitis to the wood and each one has done nothing but support algae growth. I cannot call them dead, just completely dormant looking:










Moss is the other driftwood and rock covering plant that is not doing much yet. I see minimal growth on several patches, that is all. This shot has moss on the right and at twelve o'clock and also shows the pathetic status of my ground cover:










The only driftwood plant that is thriving is the narrow leaf java fern. Here you see the marsilea quadrifolia (just left of the tip of the wood) looking exactly as it did 2 months ago when I planted it:










I realize that without CO2 injection things go slowly, but I had expected SOME glimmer of growth out of the ground cover and bolbitis. Comments welcome.


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## andrewss (Oct 17, 2012)

great tank


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## callisto9 (Aug 26, 2012)

Nice Fluval - gorgeous! Insanely nice view, too! How relaxing. I really want a small tank for work.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

First of all congratulations on you Angel arrival! They are cute. I think your Wisteria looks great, and was impressed how much it grew. Sorry to hear your other plants are not catching on like you want. I am finally getting better with my plants, but not good enough to offer care advise. If you haven't done so already, you should start a new thread in the plant forum to get tips. I think you'll have much better luck.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

Any progress with your plants? How are the new Angels doing?


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

very nice tanks!


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

It does not appear that I am meant to keep altums. :icon_cry: The importer suggested 25% water changes twice per week and I am doing so, yet after nearly each change I find a carcass. The new water is aged and pH matched to the tank and everyone looks healthy enough at all times. Short story is I now have a total of four altums left. If I can keep these four I will have a total of six angelfish (includes two scalare that spawn regularly) which won't be as many as I envisioned, but will still make a nice display, especially when fully grown.

I feel somewhat limited by not diving into an RO setup - a difficult arrangement in an office setting - but I accepted that restriction and gave them my best effort and this is what I have as an answer. Sometimes our reach exceeds our grasp.

Plants are stable. I detached and gave away the wisteria on the left while the patch on the right now covers 50% of the surface. If it takes 3 months for a CO2 scape to show its stuff, I expect at least 6-9 months before this one is where I want it. Let's hope altums are still in the picture.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

Here is a quick update on the 75g.

FTS:










I sense a rescape coming soon since especially the right side is not what I want. Anyhoo, here are some pictures of the primary residents, endler livebearers. I got two different sources of black bars, one with mostly red and orange males, the other with vivid neon colors and larger black bars. I look forward to their crossing; there are a dozen fry swimming around just this week.





































A thread on the rescape is in the Aquascaping forum: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=199518


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## discusplantedtanklover (Nov 17, 2012)

Wow, gorgoues tank.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

75g rescaped this weekend.

FTS as of today:










Left side:










Right side:










From right end:










Plus, I fianlly got a decent shot of an altum:


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

The 75 continues to evolve. Changed the hardscape, lowered the foreground using E. belem, added some other plants:










The 220 plants are doing alright although they sure are taking their sweet time about filling in the upper half of the tank. I have begun dosing a small about of Metricide to help growth:


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## Saxtonhill (Dec 28, 2012)

Gorgeous tanks!


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Wow I just went through the whole thing, this is awesome! I love Altums, a dream fish for me. Are you running co2 on this tank? If not, that could be your answer to the algae. It seems like you're running 8 t5ho bulbs, i know the tank is deep but that's still a lot of light for a non co2 tank.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

Thank you both. 

I am not injecting CO2 into the big tank. Half of the lamps are white and half are blue. The white ones are on for only ~6 hours per day and two of the three glass tops have black screening keeping out ~40% of the light. And of course the water sprite ( not H. difformis as I mistakening thought) is blocking and absorbing a bunch of light although I hope to eventually open up that blockage and maybe evne eliminate it altogether once my rooted plant mass gets higher. Most of the algae I am getting now is easily scraped from the glass.


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## caique (Mar 16, 2012)

Hey Tom,

Gorgeous tanks, what eheims are you using on the 220? Looks like the pro 2 spraybars but I havent had a bigger eheim so maybe they all have those spraybars.


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

man i just stumlbed on this
can you be my boss?


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

Those are two Eheim 2080 Pro 3 filters. One has regular media, the other nothing but peat moss (which does not seem to be discoloring the water much anymore).

Sorry HD, not hiring just now. ;-)

Today's news: I sold the two P. scalare from the big tank. I have had them for years and watched them spawn dozens of times without any ultimate success (I made no effort) and found a guy locally who wanted to give them the chance they deserve. And since I want some more wild blood fish in there, away they went. A bittersweet moment to be sure - who likes saying goodbye to long term friends? - but one that will be best for them and for me I hope. 

I will miss their sparring; she really went after him when ready. Here they are mugging for the camera earlier this year:


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

hHAHA
yeah it is very hard to part with them sometimes. but sometimes like you said, it is for the best. cute fish though!!!


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## craigee2199 (Jan 21, 2011)

Really gorgeous tanks! That 220 is stunning.


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## Conrad283 (Dec 10, 2012)

The tank looks great as it is now. 

How are you liking those light fixtures? What bulbs do you have in there?


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

The lighting is two 36" four lamp fixtures, T5 HO, and uses the lamps that came in the package. It was marketed for freshwater plant growing and to be honest, I am not sure the lamp combination is perfect.

Each fixture came with:
(2) 39W 420/460 lamps
(1) 39W 10,000k lamp
(1) 39W purple lamp

This turned out to be too much light (PAR @ 70-80) for a non-CO2 tank, so I have cut it ~40% using black screening on two or the three glass tops. I have the main lights on ~ 7 hours per day and the blue ones for ~10 hours. Plant growth has been slow, but I am spoiled by the CO2 injected 75g tank. Algae has been controllable, partially by the water sprite in the upper half of the tank.

I do like the programmable aspects of these lights and the night light LEDs are cool. The fans make some noise though. 

This is a long winded way of saying that these are the nicest lights I have owned but they may not be the best I can possibly have. Perfection is difficult.


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

man your 220 is beautiful, the wood is and hard scape are perfect. how are the altums holding up?


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

Thank you for asking jamntoast. The 3 musketeers (D'Artagnan is looking right at you):










While I am at it:



















Here is a fresh look at the center of the tank. A trend is emerging of using the 75 CO2 enhanced tank to grow plants that get moved into the big boy. Hygrophila difformis has been added. Blyxa japonica is now the foreground (after the failure of several other species).










The right side has also been shuffled. The vesuvius has been doing well in this tank and I pulled some more form the 75 and made a more concentrated area of it on this side. The Taiwan lily is also being asked to become the background plant that my swords so far are refusing to become.










Here is what my swords are doing:


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

Forgot the latest FTS for the 75:


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## redfirebird87 (Feb 18, 2013)

Beautiful tanks, I've really enjoyed the pics. From your office view I'm guessing you're on the North end of Clayton. I'm on the South end, closer to the Ritz. Just saying HI and thanks for the views!


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

I brought in 7 altums that came in larger than the other four, so the tank suddenly lurched much closer to the dream. Turns out one thing missing was the presence of the lead actors. I have continued to bring in plants from the 75g tank too.

FTS 220g:










The new kids. The original four (from Rio Inirida) are smaller than the new 7 (Rio Atabapo):


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## Conrad283 (Dec 10, 2012)

Continues to look great


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## mitchfish9 (Apr 30, 2012)

Crazy good progress on the 220 keep it up!! Lovin the angels


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## Saxtonhill (Dec 28, 2012)

enjoying this tank very much!


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

How are the angels doing?


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## shawnleon (Dec 10, 2012)

This collection is splendid! How are those new altums doing these days?


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## Saxtonhill (Dec 28, 2012)

Any updates? Really like the rock and driftwood aquascape and interested in the angels


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

New photos coming soon. 

The angels are doing splendidly. They now come to meet me at the glass instead of skittering away. Still, no sudden movements please. 

The "Taiwan" lily has really filled in the upper half of the tank, almost too much. I'll let you decide if it is too much, but the light green of that plant is pretty striking. Frankly, I think the tank looks good, but it it looks almost nothing like my original design.


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## BarbH (Feb 27, 2013)

Love the look of your 220 and of the angels. Subscribed.

Sent from my SCH-R720 using Tapatalk 2


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

Photo barage, starting with the 6 gallon jungle with one betta, two white clouds and numerous cherry shrimp and snails.





The 75g is not looking its best right now:





Hard to see, but two female endlers were wrestling each other (center of photo) and picking at the other's back like I had not seen before:



Last but not least, the 220:







Closeup, right side:



Left side:



More altum shots:


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## llamabob (Jul 26, 2010)

Wow, love the angel tank, beautiful angels.


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## LilGreenMan (Mar 11, 2013)

Wow! I love how the plants in the 220 make an arch over the centre "valley". How do you trim and maintain the 220? Do you have extra large tools or do you have to stick half your body in? Subscribed!


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## Saxtonhill (Dec 28, 2012)

Love the way the angels school together among the lush plants! Well done!


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## BoxxerBoyDrew (Oct 16, 2005)

WOW!!!

Just FREAKIN' WOW!!!

I LOVE THE 220!!! The Layout, plants, and especially the Altums!!!

The hard scape is PERFECT!!! One of the best on TPT!!! Where did you get your wood at? They are very, very beautiful pieces! Everything is placed very well, and goes together naturally! Even the Flourite looks good here! I am not a big fan of Flourite after using it for many years, but it works nicely. The Taiwan Lily looks great all filled in, but I wouldn't let it get to much bigger, or it will become a distraction. 

AGAIN this is a AWESOME TANK! It is my favorite tank here now! I am subscribed 4sure, and I hope it only gets better for you!!!

THANK YOU for sharing it with us! You have done a AWESOME JOB!!!
Drew


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

LilGreenMan said:


> .... How do you trim and maintain the 220? Do you have extra large tools or do you have to stick half your body in? Subscribed!


Thank you for thinking I might be smart enough to purchase long handled tools, but the fact is I am not. The substrate in center back is a looooong reach, to be attempted only with the water level down. I get wet. Once, I am not sure how, my nose got wet.



BoxxerBoyDrew said:


> WOW!!!
> 
> Just FREAKIN' WOW!!!
> 
> ...


:smile: Thank you Drew. Now please I want you to calmly step into this rubber room and sit down a while and listen to your self breathe. Nice and easy now.....


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## Fiala06 (Mar 17, 2013)

Wow if only I could do that stuff at work...


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

Let me know if you do not want more photos


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## gabysapha (Oct 26, 2011)

How do you get any work done? I would watch this tank all day long... the surface cover adds a beautiful touch.


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## Saxtonhill (Dec 28, 2012)

That is really lovely! Almost a tapestry like effect.


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

Your altums look really healthy and have grown significantly since you first got them. Not an easy fish to keep alive considering most shipped in are not in the healthiest condition. I would love to see some more pictures of them.


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

Stunning fish, one of my favorites easily.


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Yea you've totally nailed that precarious balance between looking scaped and looking totally natural. It's very nice, I can just imagine how calming it must be up close in all it's grandeur.


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## Mizuhuman (Mar 16, 2013)

Wow. that is absolutely jaw dropping. lovely tanks. Well done.


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## Alaskan Fishface (Feb 16, 2013)

Yup, that is my dream tank!


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

You've already seen the pictures (above), but the latest issue (June 2013) of Angelfish Society newsletter features this tank as its cover story.

Story and photos here (you will want to look at the high res version): http://www.theangelfishsociety.org/forum/content.php/24-FinTAStic-Newsletters


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## RWaters (Nov 12, 2003)

Terrific! Congratulations, Tom. That is a truly stunning aquarium with truly stunning altums. roud:


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## peachii (Jun 1, 2013)

Beautiful tanks all around. I love the Taiwan lily pads in the back, they are absolutely beautiful!! I need to find some of those for my tanks next time we look for plants.


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## Sake (Mar 30, 2012)

Hey Tom congrats! Tanks look awesome, and trust me folks they look better in person. I really love that Taiwan lilly in the back, I think it makes the tank look so much better. I think that is my new favorite plant.

On a side note how are those assassin snails doing for you?


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## Shawn123 (Jan 24, 2013)

Wow your tanks look great. I especially love the look of the 220 and of course the angels. So the 220 has no co2? What's your secret to growing the Vesuvius? Mine kind of melted in my non co2 40gal, hopefully it rebounds to look like yours. I might have to give blyxa a try too.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

The assassins have been a terrific addition to the big tank. I rarely see any other snails in there - there was a population explosion threatened at one point - and I even saw two assassins jump (?) onto a sinking pellet. I might need to move some into the 75 where the snails are getting out of hand again. 

Shawn123, let me know if you need some vesuvius. My 75 has a boom of them right now. I have no secret; they are growing taller than I though possible in the big tank. Awesome plant.


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## Sake (Mar 30, 2012)

> I even saw two assassins jump (?) onto a sinking pellet.


 Yeah they will do that when food is low, just means they're doing their job.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

I suppose to be a true journal I ought to include the rough with the smooth. It is tempting to only post when one has a good look going, but that will not be the case today. The big tank has been populated for well over a year now and frankly my plant growing efforts have had very poor results. The only plant that thrives is the Taiwan lily (since removing the wisteria). The plan was to have a crypt forest with 3 or 4 swords by now, but the balansae just will not do more than stay alive and only one sword seems to be doing much. I have restocked with plants from the CO2 injected 75g several times just to keep things green. The Byxa japonica failed and I salvaged a few pieces to drop again into the 75 hoping to replant once I have figured out my problem.

I figure that my main problem was the acidity I forced on this tank. I recently let the pH climb up to ~7.2 or so; I no longer add acid in my aging barrel. The altums seem quite happy with all of this - they have been the priority and always will be - their color is full and they feed aggressively and spar with each other all day. Hopefully this more alkaline water will make the crypts more at home. Unfortunately, I am battling algae of two types: BBA and blue green. The BBA could be from the fluctuating CO2 levels from the two 25% water changes each week. I am now dosing a small amount of metricide each day. The Blyxa leaves turned yellow and faded which suggests I need to dose some ferts. I am doing so after each water change. 

Okay, a long winded way to warn you that the pictures will show some of this struggle, although I cleaned up somewhat before snapping these. First, the 6g is looking very foresty, with happy bolbitis and subwassertang underneath guppy grass and pennywort. The forest gives the two white clouds places to get away from the betta and the cherry shrimp of course like cover. 












See if you can see any similarity from that to the 75g. This one has evolved into a scape I am tempted to call "Victory of the Cyperus". The endlers seem to like the dense plantings and the kuhli loaches definitely like wriggling through the foreground. I kind of like the jungle look if the fauna are okay with it.



I realize the left side and right side look like they are from two different tanks. Left side close up:



Center section with newer Hygrophila pinnatifida adding nice contrast:



The foreground, especially on the right, needs to grow in since I recently hacked it back hard:



Now the 220g.



Detail shots. Note that the crypts, moss, and E. martii swords are all looking barely there. The very green E. vesuvius is fresh from the 75g, the yellowing ones have been here longer. I sure do miss the Blyxa japonica.



























Where the crypt forest should be:










Well, at least the tank still has these guys:


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## zoragen (Nov 3, 2009)

Beautiful tanks!

I love getting to see amazing tanks like these & I'm not jealous because I don't want all that work:icon_bigg

I would love to re-create the left side of the 220. The tall driftwood is so neat!


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

Early indications are that the problem with the plants in the big tank was lack of nutrients. Some discussion of this is here:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=428017&highlight=

In any case, it looks like dosing is working so I look forward to a burst of fresh green and will update with pictures when the improvement is more obvious. I even found a small bit of fissidens on one of the driftwood branches, so not all of my original ideas for plants are kaput. There is a fair amount of java fern in there too and getting that a brighter green is really helping. Stay tuned.


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## peachii (Jun 1, 2013)

Looking good, even if it isn't your original idea for it. Love the vesuvius and lily pads. Look forward to seeing it in a few months!


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## zemnar (Sep 6, 2013)

Phenomenal shots of your tanks. I have enjoyed looking at them and thank you very much for taking the time to share them with us.

My 75g is still a work in progress and I hope to be able to share my tank with you guys in the future. If I get anything near as beautiful as these tanks I would be VERY happy indeed!

Thanks also for giving us updates on the challenges you've had with the 220g, as we all know that even a good tank has bumps along the way! Sharing this info with the community helps all of us become stronger hobbyists in the long run!

Good luck and keep those updates coming!


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## shawnleon (Dec 10, 2012)

Tom, sorry to hear about the tank troubles but you strike me as the guy who'll figure it out and press forward!

Shawn


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## jkpedrita (Jun 5, 2013)

Wow those tanks look great!


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

A photo update. The 75 needs a trim:



The algae/nutrient/lighting issues with the big tank are far from solved, but things do look a bit greener. Looking in the left side you see the "balansae forest" has some fresh green.



Left side from the front shows I do have some java fern attaching itself to the driftwood. This should make a nice patch if it fills out and avoids making more blackened bits. I also re-introduced some bolbitis near the top. This came from the 6g tank where it has prospered.



The center has some freshly green java fern at the base of the driftwood. Some aspects of the original design has survived! Brown java moss in back left did not make it.



Right front of the 220 shows that I still have issues. Brown fuzzy algae (diatoms?) is all over the rocks, driftwood and many plants. Blue green algae still shows up on horizontal surfaces; perhaps I need to dose more nitrates?


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

*Catastrophe!*

I am still in a bit of a shocked state, but I came to work today to 3" of water in the big tank, the rest having leaked out of a seam (I suppose - can't find the fault) onto carpeting on this floor and the one below. In short, my worst nightmare come to life.

Miraculously I have only found one carcass, a rummynose tetra. All 11 angels were doing sidestroke and are alive. All fauna have now been moved into a very crowded 75g tank which had over 100 endlers to begin with. I have airstones in the 75 and ought to be able to keep everyone alive for a while. 

Here is what I was able to rescue:

all 11 altum angels
18 kuhli loach, which took all afternoon to catch, even with 3" of water
22 rummynose
8 amano shrimp; had no idea that many were still there
9 otos
dozens of assassin snails

Building management may not want me to replace the tank and start over (although that is my inclination). I will call Marineland tomorrow to discuss warranty, although my LFS suggested they would not honor a tank warranty when not placed on their stand. 

That's all for now. I have a mess here.


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## trailsnale (Dec 2, 2009)

sorry to hear tom. fwiw, i switched from glass to acrylic after this happened to me this summer. 

glad your angels made it, best of luck.

ps i have a pic of your tank on my desktop. fantastic fish!


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## peachii (Jun 1, 2013)

Oh no. I've loved your tanks for a long time so sorry this happened but very glad your critters survived. Look forward to seeing you rebuild it. Don't lose heart, these things happen sometimes for no reason. - hugs -


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## vassercom (Nov 28, 2005)

Did you determine the cause of the leak yet? I'm trying to imagine what 220 gallons of water would do to my wood floor...hope the building manager cuts you a break. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## lamiskool (Jul 1, 2011)

Sorry to hear, I loved that tank! Hope your able to set up a new one and am glad you were able to save the fish!


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## Saxtonhill (Dec 28, 2012)

OMG! So sorry to read about the leak! How absolutely devastating for you after all that hard work! 

I have so much enjoyed reading about your tanks and I am glad most of the fish including those beautiful angelfish have survived.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

I really appreciate everyone's kind words. True understanding helps one through times like this.

I have not found the leak yet. Timing things is a problem: they may want to replace carpeting so setting up the new tank really cannot happen immediately, yet the overcrowded 75g and bucket of plants are anxious to be resolved. Meanwhile the office looks like a disaster struck (duh) and I am supposed to be working here.

Day one was triage - getting the survivors safe. Day two was figuring out the near term future, and one decision was to replace with a new 220. If this happened as the angels were dying of old age it might be different, but this dream was just getting started, so I am rebuilding. 

I am going to add an underlayment on the stand to remove any possibility that it could be a problem. 

I am 90% sure I will inject CO2 this time because I was never happy with my plant growth, while the crypt balansae I want is doing extremely well in the 75g. I really can't think of much else I want to do differently. I'll keep this journal up to date.

Fatalities now total 3 tetras and, alas, one angel.


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## jkpedrita (Jun 5, 2013)

Sorry to hear about your tank. It was quite beautiful. On the plus side most of the fish survived and you have an opportunity to rescape. The offer may come too late, but if you need any help I'm not far from Clayton.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

Since I subscribe to the internet idea that if there are no pictures, it did not happen, here is what the interesting half of my office looks like now:



Even when you have pictures things might be hard to believe. For example, there are 10 altums in this tank. I've put an arrow on one to show how effective they are at hiding even in plain sight.



I am hoping a new tank arrives Friday* and that at least some of the beneficial bacteria survived a week in the filters. I expect the hardscape to be very familiar while the plants should change a bit; I will now be injecting CO2.

* Marineland is honoring the warranty! Details in this thread: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=526809


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

Wow, I just saw this, that really sucks but glad that you will be getting a new tank. This hobby can have things happen that would make a lot of people give up and trust me I have had my share in the 25+ years in the hobby but I would be lost without this wonderful hobby. I can't wait to see what you do with this new tank and all kinds of possibilities with co2.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

*Rebuilding the 220*

Here's a quick update until I can get some photos. The new tank is in place, it holds water (hooray!), and it has an new hardscape (half as many rocks) and some plants. The only healthy plants are the crypt balansae I pulled from the 75g tank, all others that came from the first iteration of the 220g are in pathetic shape: dying leaves, small root structures, lightly dusted with algae or brownish fluorite mud. 

I never found the right combination for growing plants in this big tank, which is weird since my very low tech 6g is green as can be and my high tech 75g grows plants so fast I barely keep up. What I wanted was for the 220g to be more like the 6g, but I am instead heading towards the high tech solution.

So now I am waiting for some CO2 parts and for my seeded filters to show signs of being fully cycled. I regret not keeping at least one filter hooked up but this flooded office scramble had me juggling too many balls and that one hit the ground. Shouldn't be long since I took lots of media from the 75g and seeded both filters.

Meanwhile the angels are not particularly happy in their crowded 75g temporary residence. They usually keep themselves mostly hidden back in the plants. Their fin damage looks to be improving - lots of broken ventrals and slit dorsals etc. - and overall their health seems fine. I am seriously underfeeding that 75g tank and need to get those guys back where they belong and fatten everyone up some.

The plants in the 75g are collateral damage: the airstones I put in are offgassing CO2 as fast as it is injected so BBA has covered half the tank. This will be fixed once I move out the angels and remove the airstone and get things back to normal. Not sure if or how I will be able to capture the rummys, amanos, and kuhlis that are all in the the 75g now. 

Office repairs from the flood are complete. The carpet has been cleaned. Furniture is almost all back in place. Overall I feel like I am over the hump on this. I will get some pictures of the new scape soon. It isn't much yet.


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## harilp (Feb 23, 2013)

Great tanks epic!!!!

Sent from my Blackberry Playbook using Tapatalk2


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

*ReStart*

Here is what the new hardscape in the new 220 looks like. It has the same driftwood, rearranged, with fewer rocks. The sword plants (E. martii and E. "vesuvius") all melted and the Taiwan lily leaves were all removed as well, so there is lots planted that you cannot see and hopefully will shoot up soon. The crypt balansae will hopefully form a backdrop. CO2 parts are still not here yet so that is still to come.







The angels and a few scavengers are the only fish in there; I haven't figured out how to catch the rummys and as for the kuhli loaches, I will not even try. This closeup allows you to see the damaged and recovering ventral fins on the two fish in lower front. They have been in the big tank for a few days now and are enjoying regular meals and cruise around like old times. While they were packed in the 75g tank they rarely emerged from hiding in the plants, so it is nice to see them again.



The 75g needed a complete redecorate also since the airstones off gassed all the CO2 and BBA covered many plants. I removed the big rock and went with a fairly benign hardscape. Lots of plant growth needed here too.



Let me know what you think of the 220 hardscape. As I said, lots of plants are still to emerge, especially once the CO2 starts up. We will watch it all grow on this very channel!


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## lamiskool (Jul 1, 2011)

The 220 I think is beautiful! So glad you decided on getting a new tank. I completely love the angels....they are breathtaking. I am sure once the plants fill in the tank will look even better.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

Here are some recent photos. I finally have pressurized CO2 going into the big tank (although I forgot to take pictures of the equipment), so let's see how these plants grow from here. I extended my photo period to full intensity for 7 hours with half intensity for two hours on each end of that. I am getting some diatoms (otos are fat!). Dosing EI four days per week with two 30% water changes per week.

I added two pearl gouramis. They hang at the top and I am not sure if I like how they fit in this tank, but I could not resist them. I also added ten green cories to go with the ten otos and ten or so amano shrimp, and of course ten altum angels.



left side (you can see the CO2 effect on the limnophila at back):



center:



Fins mostly repaired and eating heartily:









The 75g is beginning to look like something again after its complete rescape. Tiger lotus is doing well and right side actually has not looked this good for a long while.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

The CO2 injection is certainly helping with plant growth, although I am still experiencing some diatoms or brown algae and some plants are doing just okay. 
anyhow, fresh pictures for you.























































I did not get a good fresh picture of the 75g, but here is an evening shot of both tanks with the overhead lights off.


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

The tanks looking really nice but there is way too many Altums in there. I will send you my shipping address and I will take a few off your hands, that way you will have more room for plants. :thumbsup:

They do look very happy and healthy though. I love seeing people properly care for these fish rather than watching someone that has no business trying to keep them and having them wither away like the majority of them do.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Your title says "three tanks" i only see recent photos for two? btw lovely lush set up going ^^


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

AquaAurora said:


> Your title says "three tanks" i only see recent photos for two? btw lovely lush set up going ^^


The third tank is a 6g Fluval Edge with a jungly look. Frankly it is not much, or at least it does not photograph very well. The first post of this entire thread has an index of posts that have tank photos.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

It's matured so nicely!

What a gorgeous tank. And altums!


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## TekWarren (Oct 6, 2013)

I still want your office view! -Tanks are looking great also.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

I can't say this is the look I am going for, but the plants have at least filled in some. the blyxa is gloriously covering ground, but my balansae background just will not fill in…yet.

Anyhow, camera plus tank means altum photos:


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

There is a discussion about the big tank's scape here which includes the photos below.

Before a trim:










After the trim:










Close ups of the tank, by quarters, from left:


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

Many plants removed, many simply moved. A few mid ground crypts added.

FTS:










This photo really flattens the third dimension, so here is the left side from the end of the tank:










Left side from front:










Right side top (above the sword plant):


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

I love how all your plants are thin and tall, given that you have altums. Did you do that on purpose or was it just a coincidence?

What's the species list on all the plants and fish? I know I see a pearl gourami in there with the albums but anything else?


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

The vertical lines are on purpose. Angels look good that way IMO.

Fauna: 10 altum angels, 3 pearl gouramis, dozens of male endlers, ~ 5 green cories, a few otos, a number of amano shrimp and maybe a few cherry shrimp (never see the shrimp).

Plants: C. crispatula balansae, C. spiralis, C. wendetii, C. willisii, E. Vesuvius, E. 'rubin', Nymphoides hydrophylla 'Taiwan', Nymphae Tiger Lily, Blyxa japonica, Isoetes, Cardamine lyrata, Fissidens, java moss, narrow leaf java fern, Microsorum pteropus 'Windelov', Hydrocotyle tripartita, Marselia minuta, Bolbitis heudelotii (not thriving)​ ​ Whew.​


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## Saxtonhill (Dec 28, 2012)

Are the "lily pads" plants the Nymphoides hydrophylla 'Taiwan'? That is a very striking effect, especially when view from below the water line and looking up.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

The lily pads viewed from below are tiger lily. The Taiwan lily are the bright green leaves that once dominated the look and that will be doing so again as I shift to plants that grow well and away form others that I wanted but just can't seem to grow as well (e.g. C. balansae). I need a vertical background and it takes a while to grow most stuff this tall.

In other news, I lost an angel to illness that I was just unable to successfully treat. I am down to 9 altums from the original 11 two and one half years ago.

The overall look of the big tank is getting simplified, with bigger patches of foreground and fewer plant species, but it is still far from the lush garden I want. Pictures soon. The 75g tank has gone through a complete replant and is looking more like the species holding tank (i.e. NOT a lush garden but more of a farm) that it really is. Both big tanks have algae issues (blue green in the big tank, eliminated once but coming back, and BBA in the 75g), so my overall balance is off somehow. Might need to actually do some testing, which is not really my style.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

The Crypt 'balansae' continues to fade away and I have given up on it as a background. I extended the foreground Marsilea quadrifolia across the entire width of the tank and deepened it in the central valley, opening things up a bit. The midground crypts are coming in okay, and the Taiwan lily is coming to the rescue of the overall look, as it did in the first iteration of this tank. The sword is nearly glorious. Fissidens suffered a die off and the narrow leaf java fern refuses to fill in, so things are still not as designed. Still, the simplification is starting to show benefits IMO.










Red rubin sword:










The pearl gouramis like to hang in the gothic cathedral of the sword leaves:










To the left of the sword I am letting the hydrocotyle tripartita climb the driftwood, where the Trident java fern is doing a little better than its narrow leaf cousins:










The left two thirds showing the foreground. Hopefully next time I show this it is filled in.










I have a couple dozen male endlers in this tank. They make nice little bursts of color; they are too fast for my non-flash photos:










I rather like the isoetes in front of the sword and driftwood:


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## Shawn123 (Jan 24, 2013)

Have you thought about crypt spiralis as a replacement for the balinese? It has done well in my tank both with and without injected co2. It has the same thin vertical look.

I think your tank always looks great. Love the Taiwan lilies this tank is what made me get some.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

I removed all of the C. spiralis I had. It became a bit aggressive and was not completely the look I wanted. I planted a crinum calamistratum which might become a second focal point/background for the center section.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

<sigh>

Turns out I am going to get a third crack at making a scape for the big tank since I am losing the office lease and moving to another location. I will put up some photos of what it looks like before the tear down, but moving a 220 means a COMPLETE redo. A lfs referred me to a company that regularly moves aquariums, so perhaps this will be manageable, but we all know some plants do not like being moved, so..... <sigh>.


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## andrewss (Oct 17, 2012)

looking really good


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

I have always been able to grow plants in the 75g (in contrast to the 220g), and except for some bba, treating the 75g like a farm tank has worked out. Recently I just planted species I wanted to keep all around the 75, and it actually came out looking like something. Not an actual scape mind you, but more like a dutch inspired collectoritis tank:










Meanwhile I let the tiger lily dominate the surface of the 220g which shaded most of the tank and prompted a flowering of the tiger lily:



















Pretty cool, but I will not be allowing the surface dominance required to repeat this performance; I want my other plants to live too.


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## andrewss (Oct 17, 2012)

very pretty  great tanks


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## TDashJ (Nov 6, 2014)

sweet tank tom! I live in st louis too! I just started a 55 gallon dirted rainbowfsh tank with low light plants and can't wait for it to grow in!


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

This is a rather poor quality video, but it is my first video attempt and was only done with a smartphone. Possibly better than no video at all:

http://youtu.be/v1eq50aVpx8


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

Quickie phone photo of the current look in the 220g:


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

Okay, I am one week away from moving to a new office (with a six year lease, no more moves!). I am thinking about fresh scapes for all 3 tanks and hoping to improve all 3. 

In the big tank, scape 2.0 was worse than 1.0 in almost every way. I reduced the hardscape for more plant room and ended up with almost no scape to speak of. Version 3.0 will have many more rocks; too many plants reduces swimming room for fish that are still getting bigger.

I have been treating the 75g as a kind of farm tank, holding species of plants I am reluctant to part with. Time to make some hard choices. Since it is where my crypts flourish, they will be the central focus.

The tiny 6g with its betta has been ignored from a scape standpoint for years. The new office will put this tank in a more prominent place and call for some structure. Low tech and fairly low light, the plants that thrive there do very well indeed so I hope I can form some kind of look with them.

Anyhow, I am already pulling plants and destroying what look I have now, so the next pictures will be fresh and young aquascapes. 

You know that optimism that hope cultivates? I got it.


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## lamiskool (Jul 1, 2011)

cant wait to see the new scape and gl with the move!!


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

Sordid details here, but the move did not go well. I lost 3 of my 9 angels to an ammonia spike two days after the move, an event I simply had not anticipated. Ignorance costs. It is particularly irritating that all the twice weekly water changes I have made over the past three years has come up one water change short of what it should have been. I cannot forgive myself.

Nevertheless, it is over and I am settled with a fine view of six survivors (two with ventral fin damage) cruising around a new scape. Pictures coming soon. It has way more hardscape and immature plantings, but a month or so should fill things in.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

Finally got a picture of the new look in the 220. The plants already hide most of the hardscape, but there are many more rocks in there and fewer plant species.

Here's the tally:
6 altum angels
3 pearl gouramis
small schools of rummy nose tetras, sterbai cories, and kuhli loaches.

Nymphae 'taiwan' lily *
Echinodorous 'red rubin' (still needs some growth to fill in that end)
Echinodorous 'vesuvius'
giant hair grass *
hydrocotyle tripartita 'japan'
isoetes *
marsilea minuta
tiger lily
blyxa japonica

* These three have very similar thin vertical lines that repeat throughout the tank, a deliberate and perhaps confusing effect.


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## RomansFiveEight (Jun 21, 2012)

Okay so how are you handling water changes? I've been wanting to set something up in my office as well but am concerned about water changes. There is a bathroom 70 feet away with a small sink, but I don't know if that would work or not.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

My new office is a solo effort with a kitchenette, so I can string hoses around anytime. Back when I shared office space with others, a python after hours was the answer. I live close to my office so weekends were the time for real tank work, pruning, cleaning filters, etc.


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## RomansFiveEight (Jun 21, 2012)

Gotcha.

The sink I have access to nearest (unless I run down to the basement with a couple hundred feet of hose) is very shallow and I'm concerned the python would just make a mess.

It DOES have a floor drain and, trust me, there's quite a temptation to just take that off and stuff the hose down there and use a primer bulb for draining, then hook the python up for refilling! (Assuming it'll even FIT in the shallow sink).

They redid my office while I was on vacation. New paint, all new bookshelves, etc. I should've had them install a utility sink! Ha!


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

If you offer to buy a deeper sink maybe they would install it for you. I now have a large deep stainless slop-type sink and it was ~$300 IIRC. I bet you could find something adequate for half that or so. Pick out the faucet too.

The standard way of getting water OUT of the tank with a python is sloppy; I use a power head in the tank to pump water out. Less splashing. Maybe this is all you need.


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## RomansFiveEight (Jun 21, 2012)

tomfromstlouis said:


> If you offer to buy a deeper sink maybe they would install it for you. I now have a large deep stainless slop-type sink and it was ~$300 IIRC. I bet you could find something adequate for half that or so. Pick out the faucet too.


I don't think sink installation would really 'work'. I am in a very old, pre-civil-war building. (though it's not in it's original spot. It was torn down, carried brick by brick, and re-erected across town during the 1930's. Sheesh.) Could potentially upgrade the bathroom sink.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

tomfromstlouis said:


> Finally got a picture of the new look in the 220. The plants already hide most of the hardscape, but there are many more rocks in there and fewer plant species.
> 
> Here's the tally:
> 6 altum angels
> ...


Love the look of the tank and the N. Taiwain, isoetes , and giant hair grass!


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