# Back in the saddle 55 gal. startup



## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

*Tank Update*

After some planning and hoarding pennies, I splurged and got myself started.
Purchased a Marineland led plant light w/timer. Threw in 100lbs of Eco-complete and some driftwood and rocks that I liberated from Nature.

Bump: Fiiligree Frill


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

*Plant list*

Marimo Moss Ball

Bump: Italian Vallisneria

Bump: Amazon Sword

Bump: Amazon Sword

Bump: Red Neseaea

Bump: Gold Nesaea


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

*Plant List*

Heteranthera

Bump: Dwarf Baby Tears (Hemianthus callitrichoides)


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## ChemGuyEthan (Apr 13, 2014)

Sorry to see no one gave you any ideas. 

I'm curious how the marineland plant led is going to do. The HC might not do so hot without high light. If you're looking for ground cover, I love me some staurogyne repens, doesn't quite require the high light. I'm just trying my hand at glossostigma elatinoides, but I hear it's good for low tech. Have you perused the low tech forum here for ideas?

How would you like this tank to look?

For the moment it is very sparsely and randomly planted... I might suggest planting the taller stems all together so they'll grow up behind/around the driftwood. So definitely the val and the sword in back as they are tall. I believe the nasea will also get quite tall, so it may be good in back unless you want to regularly trim it. The others may be ok where they are. I think some shorter plants that may be good in front of the wood are hygrophila compacta, I have found it easy to maintain and stays about 3-4 inches tall. There are other hygros that are good too, like araguaia. Some anubias would be good as well, they do well in low tech. Also, the easiest, hardiest plant I've ever had, water wisteria (hygrophila difformus). That thing does not die and in my tank grows probably 6 inches a week and has a nice spikey leaved look. Maybe some moss tied to the wood?

Sorry for the long paragraph, just kept having things come to mind. :hihi:

Best of luck to you! Hopefully some others will chime in!

Edited: I almost forgot to say you should either DIY or invest in some root tabs since ECO doesn't supply nutrients to the plants. That and/or do some light fertilizer dosing. Otherwise, you're plants are going to be upset with you before long...


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

*Thank you*

Thank you for taking the time to look and resposnd. 

I hope the light will be enough to keep me satisfied for a while. 

Do i really need to consider fertizer this early? I am under the impression that eco-complete was the substrate thats used as it was filled with nutrients?:icon_ques

This was my initial purchase of flora and fauna to get this tank up and running.

$84.00 in stock less less 3 in flake and 4 in this api quick start the fish guys rung me up for. 

Hit the lfs on sunday, so its now been 4 days

I'm interested in setting this up for a community,more so Angel / Tetra mix. As for now. I'm going to watch and see what happens as to plants acceptance and hope for some growth. that will allow for some fill for the sparcity. 
I am definitely needing some more plants! I was hoping for some dwarf hair grass but the lfs had only tears so i was ready to try anything as i know little.

Briefly, the gold nesae has got a few dark spots now and algae is moving in.


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## ChemGuyEthan (Apr 13, 2014)

As far as I understand it, Eco is essentially just crushed lava rock with what appears to be a little bit of flourite sprinkled in. I believe it has some nutrients, but where Eco is better than plain sand or gravel is in the porous nature of the material and it's ability to retain and transfer nutrients to the plants' roots (this is usually referred to as CEC though I don't know what it stands for). It's not a bad substrate by any means and I use it in my largest tank with success. I am dosing fertilizer and also have root tabs under the root-heavy stems to give them extra encouragement. I still recommend root tabs, but you can always hold off on any other ferts and just see how the plants are responding. If they are struggling or showing deficiencies, then you'll have to add something or algae will take over.

As the tank is only a few days old, you're likely to see algae. It takes time for the plants to really establish themselves. So long as it doesn't go too crazy on you, algae in the beginning is totally normal. You can look through the algae forum here on causes and preventative measures for algae. If you're looking to stay low tech, you could invest in some Flourish Excel (or generic alternative) as this has a secondary effect of helping algae control. Just don't dose too much as vals are sensitive to the stuff and require a little time to get used to the chemical.

I would highly suggest more plants. Maybe check here for a stem package or something. The more you can plant at the beginning, the better off you'll be with regards to algae.

Do you have a test kit? Out of curiousity... I see you have fish in there in the young tank. While I have also used tank starter bacteria cocktails and put fish in after just a few days, I would rather monitor ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates just to be safe. As the bacteria process waste, your nitrates will climb, this can lead to algae if the plants can't use it up fast enough. Probably want to wait another week or two before you add more fish.

All in all, patience is best. Watch the plants and how they respond. If you spy a lot of algae growth, take action before it gets too bad.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

*test results*

I do have a test kit, it is old. It is also for marine tanks so the ph i believe is a different range. I ran tests earlier and had same results. 
The tank has been running with substrate and lights and filters since July 3rd.

Thats the longhorn beetle that flew into the tool box this eve.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

*Tank Update*

Went and aquired two new plants today and four angels to help fill in the tank. 

New plants are:
Red Wenth and a Lutea

My Gold Nesaea seems to be rotting. many of its leaves have been shed and when i touched it it mostly disintegtated, so i moved the tip which seemed intact and left the melted stem in place.


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## Xiaozhuang (Feb 15, 2012)

Nesaea and dwarf baby tears generally don't do so well in non-CO2 enriched environments. If you want to go low tech/easy maintenance, perhaps check out the low tech forum for which plants will survive well ? Many sword plants, vals, dwarf sag would do okay


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## Lucubration (Jun 20, 2013)

Eco-complete is a decent substrate, and it's what I've got in most of my tanks. Still, without fertilizers, everything is going to be slow to grow or possibly deficient. I've recently started hitting this wall myself, particularly with swords and faster-growing stems. I recently buried some dry ferts in gel caps at the bottom of the Eco-complete in my tanks. It's only been a week, but I can already see the difference it makes.

Dwarf baby tears did not do well in my tanks (all low-tech).

Things that have really thrived for me, in no particular order:
- Crypts
- Anubias
- Downoi (pogostemon helferi)
- Dwarf lotus
- Dwarf sag
- Xmas moss and fissidens fontanus
- Jungle val
- Rotala rotundifolia
- Ludwigia repens

Things I am on the fence about:
- Monte Carlo
- Water wisteria
- Water sprite


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

*thanks*

thanks everyone for responding!

So far im just chugging along picking out from whatever the lfs offer. last time when i purchased the angels there was little selection. the tears so far seem ok. nothing in the tank is exploding with growth. I wasn't really expecting it to. I am curious about adding some tabs as it seems to be coming at a strong suggestion.

I'm sure someday i will play around with diy co2 (is this the distinction between low and high tech?), but for the moment i will run with finding more plants to fill in. 

I have found some snails now in my tank, should i care?

Again, thank you everyone for your time and consideration.


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

pghkid said:


> thanks everyone for responding!
> 
> So far im just chugging along picking out from whatever the lfs offer. last time when i purchased the angels there was little selection. the tears so far seem ok. nothing in the tank is exploding with growth. I wasn't really expecting it to. I am curious about adding some tabs as it seems to be coming at a strong suggestion.
> 
> ...


Add the tabs, your plants need nutrients and contrary to popular belief eco complete doesn't have any in it from the start...it just retains nutrients rather well once you've been dosing.

Pressurized CO2 makes a tank high tech, DIY isn't really high tech.

Snails are generally harmless, let them do their thing.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

*Tank Update (Hair Algae)*

Had a little blossom of some hair algae and the tank has progressed. I did hand removal and scooped much bulk out with a net, came right back.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

*Tank Update*

Went out to another lfs and got some Flourish Tabs and some Flourish Excel.
I placed 9 tabs amongst my vegitation. 

I dosed 4 caps to my 55gal, (label says 1 per 10 gal.)

Picked up a few new plants as to continue fighting the good fight.

Plant list:

Dwarf Sagittaria

Cryptocoryne wendtii (Green Gecko)

Java Fern Tropica
I have a big clump of it just tucked in the back corner / as im not sure what to do with it all.

I got a freebie bonus Snail (Olive Nerites) _It came with the plant as a hitcher_


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## ChemGuyEthan (Apr 13, 2014)

pghkid said:


> Had a little blossom of some hair algae and the tank has progressed. I did hand removal and scooped much bulk out with a net, came right back.


A "little" blossom indeed, haha. I had the same thing in my 12 long. I noticed a little, then went out of town for a week, came back and BAM! Hair algae everywhere. 

What I found worked: Removed as much as I could by hand without ripping up a bunch of my HC, I cut back the lights a little, restarted my EI dosing with some excel dosing, and picked up a small army of amano shrimp (24 total, lost 3 so far, which is ok cause I only paid for 20, haha). 

My suggestion to you: hand removal, excel or metricide dosing, and an army of amanos. 

They have already in about 4 days eradicated almost all the algae, they love the stuff. 

Best of luck and keep at it.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

*Tank Update (vacation algae regrowth)*

Well, after vacation and a week left unattended, the algae had made some amazing formation (thick carpet) blossom on the rock surfaces. the plants seem to have cleared a bit from the coverings of hair (still there just not as obscene). It seems primaraly located on the rock tops.

perhaps, i will grab my better camera and see if i can do the algae some justice.

Snails? there are more little ones.... at first i had knowledge of a few and then knowingly added the other from the lfs. but now there are many more than a dozen on cursory glance..? should i be concerned?

I will resume cleaing on another day and perhaps either top of the evap or perhaps the tanks first water change? would one do so when dosing with flourish? wouldn't you be diluting the product?

Thanks again everyone for taking the time to check on this little project of mine.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Just a quick update. Cleaned the tank and topped off the evaporation. Snails are everywhere. I smashed over a dozen and there are plenty more. Plants are doing well have some newer growth and the Val has sent 5 new runners since planting.


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## Xiaozhuang (Feb 15, 2012)

Adding more plant mass will help against algae issues. Tank looks much better~ Often after the plants grow roots and settle in, algae will slowly lose their foothold


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

*Tank Update*

Pulled a few rocks and gave em a quick scrub with some scotch brite and scalding hot water, said to myself hey! I read somewhere about peroxide as an effective tool in the battle against algae. So I added a little splash over top, sat, rinsed and replaced. couple days now and all seems normal

For giggles I threw the tank a couple of shots of it tonight.

Some plants have now all but died off. Heteranthera , Nesaea both gold and red are all but toast some little root strands are all that remain.

The Sword seems to be suffering a bit 

Dwarf Baby Tears have given me trouble with this algae thing. They seem to be growing ok but I keep loosing some when thining the hairs away.

Red Wenth and a Lutea seem to be doing quite well

I have now used up my little bottle of Excel and have Just recently added more Flourish tabs.

Thanks again for checking out my little project!

comments


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Have you done anything to rectify your cause of hair algae (typically either too strong or too long of a lighting period)? How long are you lights on? What are you lights currently? and how high are they above the substrate?


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

*lighting adjustments*

Thank you.

I have decreased the time by two hours.

Originally the timers default on this lamp runs as follows
blue on 9am - off 10pm (13 total hours blue)
white on 10am - off 8pm (10 total / _white with blue mixed_)

I have made it to 
blue on 3pm - off 2am (11 hours blue)
white on 4pm - off 12am (8 hours total / _white blue mixed_

Total time cut: simple answer then is two hours

The distance from light to top of substrate is 18 inches. The tank has clear top with clear insert/hood.


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## baronen (May 31, 2012)

how often do you change the water?


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## sushant (Mar 3, 2007)

pghkid said:


> Thank you.
> 
> I have decreased the time by two hours.
> 
> ...


i guess you need to cut the light hours even more to around 8 hrs.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Tank adjadjustmenhave been made. Lightning cut two more hours.
33 percent water change (approximately). This is the first water change I have performed
I also did a good scrubbing on rocks and thangs and popped in my remaining flourish tabs. I'm just drying my hand now and ready for another cold one. 

Again, many thanks to all of you for coming to check out my tank and all the advice.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

*side notes*

just reread my last post, oops on the sp. errors, thats what happens when you use a little screen and add beer. _(no editing will be done as to remind us all)
_
I have decided that adding peroxide straight into the tank is not the way. The Italian Vallisneria suffered quite a bit and quickly too (_it should be just fine_). It did start to gray the algae, but not as effective as a manual cleaning.

The sword plant still seems a little beat up, but that has been going on a bit.

I also gave the Java ferns a rinse in the peroxide bath before putting them back in the other night. They have some dark brown discoloration.

Snails...


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

*Progress Report*

Just a quick photo update,it's been about two weeks. Dwarf Tears are showing some spread I am happy to report! Fiiligree Frill seems to be doing ok after the hair entanglement.
The Peroxide bath has done some real damage to the Java Ferns (I do still expect them to survive) but you can see the damage.
The Wenth, Lutea and Green Gecko have been doing quite well. Wenth may be the strongest looking plant in the tank. The Val does have the most new growth but the peroxide shots have burnt back the height.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

*update*

time has passed, tank has been cleaned a few times fighting the algae.
I added some more flourish tabs today. plants seem ok. some growth to be seen in the key players of this experiment.
im curious now about what next the lfs will have in stock for me to try. the val is spreading great and the wenth i have two starters produced. the sword unfortunatly seems pale and not performing as i hoped. oh well back to that trying plants project.
I added a heater today as well, 200 watt aqeuon pro. is it a big factor for plants or just better for the fish? either way its in my basement and therefore cold.


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## ChemGuyEthan (Apr 13, 2014)

Glad to see you've recovered from the algae outbreak! Tank is starting to make a comeback.

Now you just gotta fill that thing up with plants! I think that's your best bet for keeping the algae away.

I'd recommend some stem plants, they're faster growers which will help with building plant mass more quickly. Maybe check out some different ludwigia species (repens or red) and some rotala species (colorata, rotundifolia, green). These might not show their best colors in a non-CO2 tank (will probably be all green except for the very tips near the surface), but they should fill in nicely for you, I think. I also had wisteria (hygrophilla difformis) for a while in a low tech that grew like crazy, so that's an option. Other options are more crypts and sword plants since you have a big tank, there's also floating plants like duckweed, red root floaters, or salvinia minima (there's another one that I can't remember the name of now...).

If your local shop doesn't have much in the way of plants, there are several good, reliable sellers on the forum here you can buy plants from. They are typically much cheaper than retail stores. So I'd recommend a quick perusal of the for sale section as well.

Oh and the heater will benefit both, but probably the fish more so. The angels and tetras are tropical fish so they'll be much happier and healthier in warmer waters.

Keep up the good work!


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

*Camera Shots*

Grabbed the actual camera and quickly snapped some higher detail images. You can see more accurately the health of each plant and aglae activity.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Big water change, shut down canister pump and switched from charcoal and bulk blue filter to paper cartridge. Shut of protein skimmer as it was only a current maker. my bed filter is offline now as to unclog and plumb inline from the canister. 
I moved some plants around and gave my frill plant a major haircut. Tried to save the tears from algae slime but only save a tiny clump. Add a few more fertilizer tabs.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Unknown creature! just looked in my tank and saw this thing in my tank. I have no idea what it is or where it came from. Any help?


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## samee (Oct 14, 2011)

wow, thats one freaky looking thing. I would suggest throwing it out or atleast isolating it by taking it out the tank and throwing it in a bucket full of water (until someone IDs it). Looks like its a fish eater and a hitchhiker to me.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

That Thing is horifying. Get it out and kill is ASAP. Also I strongly recommend you buy a gallon of Metricide from Amazon.com. $25 and work up to say 15ml a day. It's the same stuff as Excel just way cheaper. 
I dose 20ml a day in my 75g. I dose directly at whatever algae I may have. It's a great carbon source and it has anti algae properties. You'll need a big 100ml syringe. Also I strongly suggest some Amano Shrimp as mentioned earlier. I also dose peroxide from the syringe directly at any algae I couldn't get with the Metricide. I use up to 20 ml per incident when I do that. I have very little algae in my tank and very good growth with just metricide. As your plant mass increases your battle with algae will become easier. 
I would also strongly suggest some Wisteria while you are waiting for other plants to grow. It's a massive weed, but it competes with algae very effectively. I personally dont care for its look when my tank is nearing what I want, but ive seen others incorporate it into some beautiful scapes. When your other stuff fills in you can take it out if you don't like it. 
This comes from maybe 8 years of setting up tanks. The beginning is by far the hardest. Do those 3 things and it will make a tremendous impact on your tank.
You may also want to consider the flow in the tank. Algae doesn't like good water flow. To get the flow I needed I have a Rena XP3, two AquaClear 70's, and an AquaClear 50 powerhead.
If you are confident of the quality of your.water you could also consider some Oto's. 6 or 7 Otos, 10 Amano Shrimp and maybe 10ml of Metricide a day and your tank would look tremendously improved in a week.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Tank update:
water change, approximately 15 gallons added, 10 from draining 5 lost to evaporation. Added a cap of prime. 
Added 5 flourish tabs around the plants.
Overall I think the growth of the existing greenery has been slow. I believed that after this much time I would have had some plants filling out my tank.
I know I need more plants.
Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions, your all very patient to take the time. 
I need to just actually go to the store.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

*Tank Update: New Plants!*

So today I blew my radiator out after going to the lfs I picked up a few more plants as advised. Yeah! iI get work after work tomorrow!
I also picked up some floursih, excel, and some iron.
I got there near closing time so i simply asked for some quick guidance.
So with a few more plants and chemicals hee is what I got

ludwigia sp. 'super red'

hygrophila odora

limnophila aromatica: _I gotta two-fer special!_

So we will now wait and see what next may come for this project I do hope for a little more fill.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Chemistry Day!
it's been almost a year since I last tested my water. Results are in. Looks like everything is normal.
I went to the chain pet store for lunch, yum! And bought some filter media: marineland carbon ammonia neutralizing blend. I did so because I had previously switched back to the charcoal canister blue coat filter from the paper one as it was clogged. So I figured this blend couldn't hurt and I could save five dollars vs all charcoal in the same size.
I will probably wait until I do my next water change before adding this New media to the filter.
The plants all appear well right now, I have been dosing daily and have added iron and plain flourish a few extra.


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## BrynnaCC (Jan 5, 2014)

Unidentified insect is a house centipede. Not aquatic; it probably just fell in. They're good for your house; they eat fleas/bedbugs/cockroaches.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Diy co2 day!

Used up my little bottle of excell and two caps left if iron. Have added more root tabs and another water change since last post.
Plants all seem well with exception to the Val. It doesn't seem to agree with one of these chemicals.

I decided on a whim to throw this little guy together. Standard setup from what I've seen upon the cursory glance of web search.
The airstone is just under the substrate under the cup from my protein skimmer to trap the bubbles? So I've read to better diffuse the gas?

Anyhow, just having an Iron and playing around in the basement.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Update:

Co2 is bubbling away. The dome has risen from all the bubbles as expected. This set up is on the opposite side of the canister intake and return.
I am noticing bubbles forming from some of the plants and rising to the waters surface. I think I might add some more flourish root tabs around again it's probably not to soon.
Thanks again everybody!
I really appreciate all the great information and ideas. knowing that people are checking in on my little project and myself keeping this journal is a pleasant experience.
It's 10pm it must be beer 30.


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## Yuuki_Akitsuki (Jan 15, 2015)

Tank looks nice and certainly has come a long way! Nice job.

Wondering... are you still running the protein skimmer? If so do you believe it to have any effect on your tank?


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

I shut down the skimmer in April, no I don't believe it did anything but make current and aerate the water. I have since been only running the canister filter.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Tank update: 

Had a friend come by this evening, and brought his master test kit.
We tested:
Ph (low range) 7.2
Ph (high range) 7.4
Nitrate: 0 

Co2 still bubbling and some of the plants are showing some discernable growth and 
vigor!

I did my remaining 8 root tabs and have been adding flourish liquid fert as well. (sometimes perhaps 3-4 caps per week) as I've tried to add some directly to plants using the thumb over cap technique.

The ludwigia is doing well against the background, but in the left corner seems to suffer?
Red wenth and Lutea are really the strongest performers as of now.
Limpnophila has new greens all over
Gold nesaea is somehow holding on if not improving and the sword may be rebounding as well.
I imagine I will need to order some more chemicals and tabs to keep this progress in motion. That will probably be the next step before moving towards pressurized co2?

Thanks you


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## Bine (Jul 12, 2015)

pghkid said:


> Unknown creature! just looked in my tank and saw this thing in my tank. I have no idea what it is or where it came from. Any help?


Sure looks like the larvae of something. I was thinking dobsonfy or stone fly, but it looks too leggy.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Bug is long gone, decomposed two days after discovering it. I'm gonna vote wayward millipede. Drowned and bloated.


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## Bine (Jul 12, 2015)

Ha! Silly hitchhiker. Aqaurium is not for you.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Tank update

Got my order of fertilizers today and a fluval co2 88 ceramic diffuser.

I planted many root tabs , scrubbed the algae away, and added some of the other bottle caps as well.

I made a new batch of sugar water brew for the co2 system and connected the diffuser below the output from the canister filter.

The tank has made much progress with the new fertilizer regimen.

Should I worry about iron testing? I need to get some new test kit and wondering what I really should concern myself with. 

As for now we wait and watch for bubbles.

Thanks again.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Air leak!
Ok I hooked up the diffuser and patiently waited. It started working and off to bed I went. When I came home from work it I noticed it was now leaking around the hose that slips on to the nipple. I zip tied it with no success, purchased new silicone line and am still having the same problem. I have 're cut the line, zip tied it as well, tried rubber cement, wrapped the nipple in Teflon tape all still to no repair. I am at a loss as to why this is giving me such a problem.
Any thoughts?


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Tank update:
Kept co2 with air stone for now, looks like this batch has worn down.
Back from vacation and had a good bit of algae take off from a bit of growth on the rock faces. It was a chore lying in wait for me.
Scrubbed everything and did a water change, cleaned out filter and replaced media. 
I added more root tabs and resumed liquid fertilizers as well.
Growth in some plants has been pleasing.

Thanks again


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Tank update:

10gal. Water change today, added the last of my root tabs and am still using liquid fertilizers. Plants all seem to be healthy. I am really digging the red plant and hoping it will spread well as it looks to be performing well.


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## BoxxerBoyDrew (Oct 16, 2005)

Just checked out the post, and you have come a long way with the tank and your understanding of how everything works together to keep a happy tank! I like the randomness of how it is put together! 55 gallon tanks can be hard to scape! I have been battling mine since 04'! It has been on "auto-pilot" for a long while now ever since I got the dreaded clado algae, and I just can't get rid of it!!! So as long as I don't mess with it and just feed the fish, trim the Sunset Hygro when it gets way out of hand, and change water every month and clean 1 of the filters every month it stays at bay! BUT if I try to start "improving" the tank the D%$N Clado rears it's ugly head!! It dosen't matter for much longer though as I/my Wife is getting a China Hutch from my Parents, and the only place it can go is where the 55g is, and there is NO where else the 55 can go in the house, so it will soon become my Son's Ball Python's new home! Which is OK as one of the seams of the tank has been worring me for a while now, and I HOPE to replace it with a 65g tall, same foot print as a 40B but taller, or at least a second 40B on the other side of the fire place! 

Anyway enough about my 55g, sorry about the hijack! when I was running DIY Co2 I fixed up 2 sets of bottles. That way when the set that was on the tank was starting to get used up I could start up the second set, so the tank always had a fresh mixture of "juice"! After a while and watching my plants and fish suffer from the PH swings, as well as the algae problems when the Co2 would run out when I was out of town at the Family Farm for a while!, the DIY Co2 caused I went online and found a inexpensive Co2 Regulator from a Home Brewing Company and hooked it up to a needle valve from Home Depot, got some Co2 tubing and made a Cerges style reactor from a old R/O unit, and my plants and fish were OH SOOOOO THANK FULL!!! It also helped me get my algae outbreaks under control too! The regulator is not a "true" dual stage, but it has never had the dreaded end of tank dump. I am not saying it won't the next time the bottle get close to empty, but it has been a great reg. , So PM me if you are intrested in the name of the company. I don't know if they are even still around, as it was 03' IIRC when I bought it! Just an Idea!

I know there are alot of folks on here that make there own root tabs, and also sell them too! They are just gel caps with a good all around fert. loaded in them that is much cheaper than buying the flourish tabs. I haven't used them yet, as my 55g is "Dirted", but I will be making up some of my own in my 40B I am working on now and I can't afford the Brand name in the long run!!!

Well I hope some of my rambling can help you out in some way! Also like a few others have said I would for sure try to get a few Ammano Shrimp while your Angels are still small so they can get used to them being in the tank! Not only are they GREAT ALGAE EATERS, but they are cool to watch too!!! BUT I have had best luck introducing them to Angels when the Angels are small. Some angels don't ever bother them, but I have had a few pick at them till they killed them even when they were just a bit bigger than nickle body sized! They are Cichlids!!! 

Best of luck and continued Success with the 55!!! Fell free to PM me with any questions I would be happy to help all I can!!!
Drew


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Tank update: Assassin snail!
A wild burr got me over these pesky snails that are everywhere. My assassin snail arrived Monday.
I knew I had one other snail In my tank, what I was told it was I can't recall (it's posted somewhere here in history)
Within 20 minutes the assassin finds it and plays Chase, within the next 20 they lock up and assassin wins. Next morning the dead shell is mia. I have watched it eat two other junk snails so we will have to wait and see.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Tank update:
20 gal. Water change, removed a bunch of algae and eliminated the co2. Perhaps next I will make the switch.
I moved a few plants around and root tabs everywhere. I think shrimp will be in the future plans. 
Thanks again everyone for stopping by and checking out my project.-


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Shrimp scampi, 
Picked up five if these today from the lfs I've spotted three total since I released th a few hours ago.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Never bet on shrimp!
As expected the angels ate all but one of my shrimp that manages to live under a rock.... The unattended tank has much algae once more. I'm over due for a big cleaning, perhaps sooner than later.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

*shrimp will defy!*

so i spoke far to soon, 3 shrimp remain, cleaned the algae back and the gravel. cleaned and replaced filter media. 
I am amazed to see the shrimp still holding there own taking refuge under the few rock i have placed in for structure. 
im still thinking of replacing the angels with some other fish now. as they have grown to large for my liking.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Tank update :
Major tank cleaning, tank has been in ignore mode for quite some time. Big water change. Shrimp are amazingly all still alive. Four in total are still going strong, 2 large and 2 small ones. Hopefully I made enough space in rock pile for them to hide. Need to clean the filter out still so perhaps I will get to that in a day or so.

Plants are slowly filling in. I think I may need a few more before I'm done adding Plants.

Thanks again everyone.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Filter upgrade. 
It's been a while since I updated anything here. Tank has mostly been neglectedoing continued battle with algae. Some plants have suffered most notably was my Frill in the corner. 
On the last major tank cleaning and gravel vacuum. I also cleaned and replaced media in my old magnum 350. Upon reinstallation I noticed so drips fro.the supply lines.
For Christmas i upgraded to a fluval 360 and am currently running them both as the drips have stopped. 
On new years day I went to lfs and got more red ludwigia and a crypt parva that I divided into two. I also picked up some more neons.
My light has recently been cut back to 4 hours full light and an hour blue before and 2 hours after. 
I have added some root tabs and iron and excell and liquid flourish


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Crypt parva


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Red ludwigia


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Rainwater water change: 

I've been using the iron supplement and the flourish now and everything seems to be perking up.

I've been wanting to do a little water change and got to thinKing about my rain barrel. Did some research and tested the ph of both my tank and my rainwater and found that both were about the same...acidic...

I added two teaspoons of baking powder to the 10gal of rainwater and raised the temperature on my heater slightly. I will check out the ph soon as I believe I may need to raise the ph more overall in the tank


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Diy fertilizer tabs
Recently read about osmocote plus as a root tabs. Froze in an ice cube tray. I decided to give it a whirl.
I'm hoping that perhaps I finally see some better growth. It seems to have taken much time and effort to get this moderate bit of success.
It's been two days so I can't really say anything about results. Just a marker to remind myself of when I did it.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Pictures


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Cleaned the tank a bit and some water changes since past note. I added more fert tabs since last mentioned i believe. Am starting to see sone more growth perhaps? My ludwidgia has been beat up from that prick angelfish. (Recently ate a dozen new neons) still running two filters and lighting has remained unchanged. (Never even reset for daylight savungs


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Decided to start cleaning the tank after some... neglect. Some evaporation and fertilizer cubes and neglect. 
The light cycle reset some time ago back to factory default so light increased substantialy.
Looks like the homemade ice cubes work! Ive done zero chemistry so i dont know levels of anything. 
The angels must have aquired a taste for neons as i had a few with tail nibbles and have now only 3 lonely ones left. 
4 shrimp still live on and plenty of snails!


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Seems like this fert tab works.as ive beem working towards plants filling in and propagation the next big cleaning should involve a major/complete reset with utilizing what is working. 
The rocks provide good shelter for the shrimp to hide out in, but bathe in the light intensity , resulting in blooming with algae.


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

Cleaned both filters and topped off the loss


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## pghkid (Apr 19, 2014)

So long since ive posted.
Many things have passed. A few water changes and more homemade fert (osmocote plus filled ice cubes).

In August while away for a week the remaining angelfish laid some eggs all over the side of the tank. (Yet another update i shouldve done)

I am down to only two fish. the angel has eaten/killed all but one neon tetra.

The plants have done very well although ive seen some some plants that were doing well die back?

Thanks again for anyone here!

Heres some pics of my dirty tank right now as is.


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