# 40b Journal.... new pics 2-26-13.... HC gone!



## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

This is my first journal. Take it easy on me. 

Sorry for the crappy pics. Lets get started.

Filtration:
CFS 700 (its on the other side of the wall..)

Lighting:
2x - Build my led.com black 36inch Dutch style --still gotta hang it

Heater:
None

Co2 diffusion:
20inch house filter


Fauna:
albino bristlenose x1 (will add more soon)
SAE(temporary)
Shrimp will come soon
schooling fish will come when im close to satisfied with the scape

Flora:
Everchanging 

Some of those crappy pics - rocks will be removed once wood is good to go

DAY 1 right after planting














































I realize that this is planted tightly.. i did this because of the holidays and we always do christmas eve dinner so i want it fairly full.. some plants will be removed/thinned out. 

There will also be ALOT of pruning on this tank.. Alot of topping and replanting the tops


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## TekWarren (Oct 6, 2013)

Superb mix of color with plants, love it! That is one of my goals...not to just have green plants. I'm working on a 40b also, couple months old now. 

Great work!


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## awesometim1 (Oct 31, 2013)

Wow amazing colors! 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk


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## Dantrasy (Sep 9, 2013)

Beautiful! This is my sort of tank. Love the reds.


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

Thanks for the comments


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## manzpants92 (Dec 6, 2012)

Looks great, once you get some good growth and a trim things will really look nice


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## denske (Feb 20, 2013)

Great job Sean, using the dimmer with the BML's? That's a lot of light for a 40b, can't wait to see fill out, looks great bud.


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

spssshhh... dimmer.. lol.. have it but no way im gonna use it.. maybe later when i get the apex controller..ive been using them for over a month now.. i like the amount of light i have..just need to raise it about 5inches to get better coverage in the front and rear


denske said:


> Great job Sean, using the dimmer with the BML's? That's a lot of light for a 40b, can't wait to see fill out, looks great bud.


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

its beautiful. nice work Sean! Your work here makes me want to rescape!!!!


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## scapegoat (Jun 3, 2010)

oh yeah, that'll grow in very nicely!


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

Nice to finally see a journal of one of your tanks Sean. I already knew that you are good at growing plants now it's time to see your scaping skills(no pressure:hihi. What's the plant in the back right corner, L. arcuata? I will be following along to see the evolution.


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

Yup thats arcuata.. just waiting on the stupid wood to stay put then I can pull them big ole rocks out and finish planting.... still trying to decide on what plant to use in the row where the rocks are... thought about cuphea but I think it does better with keeping its roots intact rather than topping and replanting...got a few weeks to think about it


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

Very nice man!!

I love your custom stand


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

Thanks han...wish it was a rimless tank..but....itll do for now


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

True! Rimless would of been better but it still super nice.
The stand make it pop even more!


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## pianofish (Jan 31, 2010)

I'm diggin the layers sjb! Once that foreground fills in a littler more and you get some height on the stems, you are gonna have quite the scape. I like the driftwood branches mixed in though, It'll make for a unique scape that has a few aspects of dutch planting, but with a little natural pazzazz. (Yes I just used the word pazzazz).
Joshua


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

Thanks guys

I liked how mr. Barr used his manzy for layers... im trying to keep it different but same concept

I may remove the browni red patch thats above the r. mexicana goais...I dont think its gonna look right after its filled in.. im not even sure if im gonna be able to get the goais a red enough color that I want

I can't use any large leaf plants in here so im limited on what I can use.

I do like the arcuata but its a fast grower and can get very bushy so my trimming on it will have to be trimmed correctly so itll look purty when everything else is in its prime...

I need to hoare about 20 or so more trithuria sp. and then it should fill in nicely


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

Im new to leds so i need some advice.. i have 2 fixtures one is 90 beam angle the other is 75 beam angle.. shouldnt i have the 75 in the back since its more concentrated light in a smaller area where as the 90 is more spread out?.. i would want more light on my stems than in the foreground


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

not much to update.. removed some of the b.japonica because it was turning too red from the lights.. put b. sp japan its place... ill remove the rest of the b.japonica once i get some more plants to fill in..

trying to decide if i want to continue the blood vomit on around to where the b.japonica is now or if that will just be too much..

Im going to remove some of these plants and replace with smaller leafed plants... pantanal is probably gonna go..same with the r. mac variegated.. i think the L. sp Red is too big of a leaf but it has such a deep red color its hard not to use it

ohh also hung the leds.. now im not so afraid to bump them into the tank...plus i have better spread front to back.. ill remove the brackets in the spring and paint them black 










Day 7


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

Its looking good though. How big does the blood vomit get?


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

Maybe a little bit taller.. itll get wider.. those that are planted are single plants that ive been splitting off of to get the patch thicker and longer. .. just not sure how much further I need to go with it


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## Wolf19 (Jan 24, 2013)

What are you dosing? Your red plants are maintaining fantastic colour!!


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

EI

Some reason some of my pantanal tips are all screwed up.. not sure if its the aquasoil or what.. they came from my farm tank so maybe this tank has much different conditions and its just gonna take an adjustment period. . Might have to promote side shoots then use the side shoots and throw the originals away


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## KribsDirect (Nov 15, 2013)

Wolf19 said:


> What are you dosing? Your red plants are maintaining fantastic colour!!


I agree! I like the colors! Im also curious about your fert regimen. I've everything ready for my 40b but am still reading before I start my first true planted aquascape. This is good inspiration. Hello from Arkadelphia


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## Ebi (Jun 29, 2011)

Sean!

Subscribed.  
Thanks for encouraging me to scape my 40b!

I will be taking notes.

Subscribed*


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## sumer (Feb 6, 2010)

Yuhoo..
Finally you started a journal. Great to see some wonderful plants in there. 
Light's perfect for the setup. 
What a beauty would it be once all grown and trimmed. Please keep that blood vomit carpet.
I am telling you that would be the most robust and maintenance free carpet ever. I'd say try to cover the front rock partially with some plant. It's a bit distracting right now. And please keep some space for the lil plants that I am going to send


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

sumer said:


> Yuhoo..
> Finally you started a journal. Great to see some wonderful plants in there.
> Light's perfect for the setup.
> What a beauty would it be once all grown and trimmed. Please keep that blood vomit carpet.
> I am telling you that would be the most robust and maintenance free carpet ever. I'd say try to cover the front rock partially with some plant. It's a bit distracting right now. And please keep some space for the lil plants that I am going to send


got your calendar.. such great pics.. even the wife liked them...its on the fridge already haha

yea that rock aint staying..just there till the wood stays put..hopefully any week now..probably should have went with manzanita but oh well

got a wee little stem of ramasoir florida.. such a pretty plant.. its a small leaf plant and has a nice purple color... i plan to use it in the vacant row to the right

weekly pics will be up sunday after WC


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## samee (Oct 14, 2011)

Are you the next Tom Barr? :hihi: Looks very similar to his layouts and plant choices. Looks soo clean.


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

samee said:


> Are you the next Tom Barr? :hihi: Looks very similar to his layouts and plant choices. Looks soo clean.


Not hardly...his tank is an inspiration though....this is my first real scape so I have a long way to go before I'm any good...the challenge here is finding the right plants to work together and of course the trimming habits..big leafed plants are because its smaller tank


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## Ebi (Jun 29, 2011)

Let's see an update Sean  


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

update

completely unhappy with the background.. gonna do some reworking sometime soon... someone just had to have some pantanal so hes got most of them now... im pulling those anyway

the foreground im okay with besides i may switch the Hc cuba out with something else i have growing out

im also very pissed about this wood haha... its still not wanting to stay put.. im probably going to have to pull everything out and drill some slate to the bottom of it... i was hoping to get rid of the rock thats holding down the wood but that isnt happening yet 

any input on the background would be helpful..even suggestions for other stem plants to use


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## pianofish (Jan 31, 2010)

Tank is growing in really nice man. Everything looks like its growing well in the pics. I see what you mean though with the background. I feel like the True Rotala Indicia (Ammania bonsai) and the stem in front of it should be swapped. It looks like its hiding in the back. I could definitely see maybe a little more thickening of the back two corners, but overall everything is looking really sweet. I really like the sweeping rows you got going.


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

thanks josh

heres one scenario










1. L. Sp. Red
2. Syn. Belem
3. R. Mini Butterfly
4. R. Mex Araguaia
5. ?
6. R. Ramasoir 'Florida' (would take an awful lot)

another thought i had was to move the Downoi to row 6 then fill the whole row with L.Sp Red where the downoi is now...then use Pantanal in slot 1.. Slot 5 needs to be something green


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

I like the new plant arrangement Sean

I dont think you want L. red where the downoi is now. It would block the mini butterfly behind it no?

what plant is the plant to the right? the single green one.

And the other foreground above the HC?


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## Texan78 (Nov 17, 2013)

Man looking really nice! Great color on those plants. 

You are using to 10K's right?


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

h4n said:


> I like the new plant arrangement Sean
> 
> I dont think you want L. red where the downoi is now. It would block the mini butterfly behind it no?
> 
> ...



I would just have to keep the l.sp red short..top it and replant it

Theres a stem of sphaerocarpa and a stem of erio setaceum... im just seeing how they grow in this tank...same with the alternanthera variegated

That other foreground is r. Mex. Goias.. I had just trimmed...ive been trimming it pretty aggressive. .hoping to bring the red out more on it

Hey texan
Im using the Dutch model


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

I see!!


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## zetvi (Jun 12, 2013)

sjb1987 said:


> thanks josh
> 
> heres one scenario
> 
> ...


What is the full name of the plant number 6? i tried to google it and did not get any infor beside your tank link. How your experience with the syn belem ? does it require a soft water to grow and what it growth rate?


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## samee (Oct 14, 2011)

I believe it is rotala sunset florida


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

did some changing around a couple weeks ago..just been waiting on it to fill in some before i did any pics... still not filled in

the wood still has not sunk but i did some riggin so i could remove the rocks










right now i dont know if i wanna keep syngonanthus belem.... i probably am giving it too much room and need to thin it out...i would like to use something else but lacking ideas

behind the L. sp red i planted R. Vietnam.. its trimmed down about an inch away from the substrate right now...

gratiola viscidula in front of the R. Mini Butterfly....its got a ways to go before filled in 

R. Mex Araguaia in the right back corner...trimmed low right now 

R. Mac Variegated on the right where i had Bacopa sp Japan

I have some L. Sphaerocarpa in the middle in front of the G. Viscidula...if i cant get it to color up much its not staying...it was shaded in another tank and i just planted it yesterday so time will tell.. if they do well ill grow out about 4 or 5 more stems and fill in 

still have some slots to fill.. i think i want a Buce Browni Ghost patch in the center where the single one is now... may have to gather some of those up soon 

decided to use s. repens in behind the HC..S. repens have always been a favorite of mine.. plus i needed something a little taller between the foreground and background so its not such a big step up










got some little card tetras for the baby.. i dont care to have fish but its entertaining for other people who dont give a damn for plants .. need to pick up 14 more of those little guys


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## Poseidon (Oct 25, 2006)

That's looking awesome. The variety of colour is stunning!


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## pikachux3 (Feb 1, 2013)

Holyyy, beautiful arrangement


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## zetvi (Jun 12, 2013)

That's a super clean mowed HC . The whole arrangement looks great but i just feel like the blood vomit need more attention, may be somewhere near the HC so it's color will pop or till when the Hc get there.


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## RisingSun (Jan 5, 2014)

Your red plants look amazing! Are you still using the lights from buildmyled.com? I wonder what the difference is between those and the finnex LEDs. A lot of people with the finnex LEDs say their red plants turn green. I see your lights are 6300k vs the 7000k on the finnex and they also have very high par (80+). Again, great looking plants! Subscribed


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

zetvi said:


> That's a super clean mowed HC . The whole arrangement looks great but i just feel like the blood vomit need more attention, may be somewhere near the HC so it's color will pop or till when the Hc get there.



Yea I agree....I hate having one of my favorite plants in the corner but I dont know how to use it anywhere else and look right


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

RisingSun said:


> Your red plants look amazing! Are you still using the lights from buildmyled.com? I wonder what the difference is between those and the finnex LEDs. A lot of people with the finnex LEDs say their red plants turn green. I see your lights are 6300k vs the 7000k on the finnex and they also have very high par (80+). Again, great looking plants! Subscribed


Yup still using the bml

Bml just builds better lights...period

Thank you for the complements


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## zetvi (Jun 12, 2013)

How about this below, black area for the blood vomit and move the buce to the red area


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## zetvi (Jun 12, 2013)

And then the area where blood vomits are right now, replace them with alternanthera reineckii mini?


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## Ebi (Jun 29, 2011)

Like the move on the bacopa for the macranda 


Mike


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

Ill see how it grows in for now...still got a while before I can gather up some browni ghost anyway...might just put browni red in there for now


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

wow that filling nicly.

Ya i like the idea of the blood vomit where the black circle is


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## Ebi (Jun 29, 2011)

I think you should be a boss and blood vomit the red circles :hihi:


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

Lol!!!

Field of blood eh haha


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

Haha...why don't you guys just scribble on my tank...

Im gonna make a small change here in a little bit... ill post a pic when im done


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## zetvi (Jun 12, 2013)

I have subbed this for about a week i guess lol


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## zetvi (Jun 12, 2013)

Ebi said:


> I think you should be a boss and blood vomit the red circles :hihi:


Lol Blood Vomit Carpet


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

What, real talk, why not blood vomit carpet?
I think that'd be the most expensive carpet ever, but seems worth it.


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

i like trithuria sp. but i dont think i want a whole carpet of it.. maybe just a section of it.. maybe ill try it when i get bored with this scape


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

sjb1987 said:


> i like trithuria sp. but i dont think i want a whole carpet of it.. maybe just a section of it.. maybe ill try it when i get bored with this scape



Makes sense

You know, I have a partial
Carpet of h. Araguia...I wonder if it would look cool used in the same
way as S. Repens as a full blown carpet?


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Wow beautiful tank!


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

Thanks sam... still got alot of work to do. .me and a buddy is gonna do some trading so the browni ghost patch will come soon


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

Removed a small portion of s. Belem and brought tbe l. Sp red around further.... still not sure if I like the s. Belem in this tank.. on stem of the l. Sphaerocarpa is growing nice but the other stem the tip is kinda crinkled up looking...not sure why

S. Repens is starting to fill in a bit...will trim those in a couple weeks to get a more even growth.. need to trim the hc but feeling lazy

This spring im gonna change out my spray bar and intake line to something nicer...I hate how the spray bar is pushing my back stems forward. ..mainly the mini butterfly


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## parrottbay (May 14, 2012)

Really like this tank and plant selectionroud:


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## taniner (Aug 10, 2010)

Great looking tank! Makes me want to work on mines again with a lot more effort


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

Well decided to switch out my carpeting plant... I may have come back to hc but I want to see what marsilea crenata will look like... its leaf size isnt much bigger than e. Hydropiper. .its just a darker green... plan on pulling it up soon so if anyone wants to buy some hc give me a shout. . I haven't trimmed it in a couple weeks so it should be easier to plant


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## Ebi (Jun 29, 2011)

sjb1987 said:


> Well decided to switch out my carpeting plant... I may have come back to hc but I want to see what marsilea crenata will look like... its leaf size isnt much bigger than e. Hydropiper. .its just a darker green... plan on pulling it up soon so if anyone wants to buy some hc give me a shout. . I haven't trimmed it in a couple weeks so it should be easier to plant


Nice Sean! Can't wait to see the updated pic. Can't wait to see your brownie ghost fill in instantly next week roud:


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

little update.. still waitin on the hc to sell then ill plant the M. Crenata... got the browni ghost from Mike... they look fantastic... hoping they look nice once filled it

sorry for the light show... one problem LEDs.. next time ill try and cover them

I have a few plants just stuck in there for the time being


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## pianofish (Jan 31, 2010)

Tank is looking baller my friend. Once that GV fills in a little more and peeks out over that branch a little more I think it'll look stellar. Are you going to attach the buces on the driftwood or leave them planted on the substrate like that? Have you ever seen buce lamandau purple or green? Very similar to brownie types, but the leaves and structures are much smaller, making them a really good candidate for buce carpets. 

Overall, everything looks grand though man, I really think you've got the background stems nailed for this tank. Them bushes are fluffy!
Joshua


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## Ebi (Jun 29, 2011)

Nice buce ghost patch 


Mike


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

I like the looks of the lamandau purple... and it being smaller would be better for me...hmmmm lol

Thanks Mike....good trade good trade


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## Cyanider (Mar 1, 2013)

Wow, love the plant selection and arrangement. Very nice layering, hope you don't mind if I use this as inspiration


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

Cyanider said:


> Wow, love the plant selection and arrangement. Very nice layering, hope you don't mind if I use this as inspiration


Thanks Josh

Han was griping about my handy dandy zip ties to tie the wood in place so im gonna do the barr method drill some holes for stuffing mini pellia or some mini fissidens in and eventually it'll cover it...probably just in time for me to rip it apart and scape it differently


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Still coming along nicely. HC carpet looks very healthy


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

thanks Sam!

HC Removed! hopefully ill have time to plant the new carpet tonight

before removal









right after









after waterchange


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

So sad!!
But can't wait to see the new foreground fill in!


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

Me too.... hopefully itll hug the substrate well like it does in my other tank


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

Finally got the m. Crenata planted....a little time consuming but hopefully itll grow in faster...I think its gonna look much better than HC since its a darker green










Still got alot left if anyone wants to buy any


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Lookin good Sean. Does that stuff grow similar to glosso?


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

The Trigger said:


> Lookin good Sean. Does that stuff grow similar to glosso?


Have you tried marsilea minuta... I guess it does grow similar to gloss just much slower...i don't think it really grows on top of its self either


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## mcclure91 (Aug 7, 2011)

This tank is looking amazing can't wait to see the new foreground grow in


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

mcclure91 said:


> This tank is looking amazing can't wait to see the new foreground grow in


Thank you... I gotta do a lot of trimming tonight...ill try and upload a picture after its done and cleared up... 

On another note me and another nice young gent on here are doing some trading and hes gonna share a buce lamandau purple...excited to see what it looks like and how it grows...may have to relocate the browni ghost if it looks better in its spot...someone sneezed out the buce disease on me


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## sumer (Feb 6, 2010)

Holy moly..
Sean.. this is so darn beautiful.
That L. red is really red. You havethat green thumb you know.. Wow. 
If.. someday I will plan to come in the hobby again, I will make sure that all my plants come from your tank.
How are erios doing? Any new addition?

Sumer.


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## Crazy4discus (Jan 30, 2014)

Nice setup!


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

Crazy4discus said:


> Nice setup!



Thank you


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

Im shutting down a tank...it has a cpr wet/dry system on it and its very mature so im gonna pull it off and take the canister filter off this tank and run the sump on this.... alot more BB area on the wet/dry than with a canister. ..plus with the way I had to set up my canister in the closet behind the tank, itll make it much easier cleaning the filters and pump.. I gotta order some new filter pads and possibly a return on the tank side that looks a little nicer than just a white 90° elbow in the water


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## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

aw thats sad to hear. it was such a great tank!


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## Ebi (Jun 29, 2011)

Let's get an update Sean!! 


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## zetvi (Jun 12, 2013)

Ya need an update please!!!


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