# Fire and Water: 40g Breeder Adventures (Updated 3/17!)



## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Current FTS:









10/16/09

It's been a long time in the making. I've just had this blank space over top my fireplace in my living room. It was designed for a TV, but since TV's aren't really shaped to fit there anymore, I decided a planted tank would be a much better fit.










So I go onto craigslist and find an awesome 40g breeder (it's really 45g I'm not sure why they call them 40g) for just $100. The tank is in great shape, and he is throwing in his filter (some sort of big HOB filter), heater (which you can see I probably don't need), and a powerhead 802 (which I need a mounting bracket for!). Perfect, it just leaves 2 inches on each side of this wasted space.










Here starts the fun. Logging back onto plantedtank.net for the first time in two years, I find not a whole lot has changed. So I read up on all the things I used to know back in the day, order a Catalina Solar 3x39w T5HO light system, get my old Co2 tank filled, drag the old ferts out of storage, order 100lbs of Eco-Complete and start off on my adventure.



























Looks like 6 bulbs too me... must be those amazing polished german reflectors









ooo... pretty moonlights!


















5x 20lbs Eco-complete substrate









Testing in the garage (where leaks won't matter!)









After carrying it to its final location, adding 100lbs of Eco-complete, and setting up the light and filter









My awesome hardscape... more driftwood to come, it needs to soak longer









Plants to come soon (tomorrow hopefully)

So here are the overall stats:


40g breeder (36x18x16)
Catalina 3x39w T5HO
Pressurized Co2 w/ Azoo Regulator
Hagen Bubble Ladder
100lbs of Eco-complete Substrate
Emperor 400 HOB filter (minus the biowheels)
Fireplace heater

Plants will be coming soon...


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

Looks great! Can't wait to get mine. The catalina light looks great.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

FloridaFishGuy said:


> Looks great! Can't wait to get mine. The catalina light looks great.


Awesome, what one did you end up ordering?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Looks like you have a good start and it looks like you know how to handle your camera. 

That's a much better use of that spot than putting a TV there.


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

skiboarder72 said:


> Awesome, what one did you end up ordering?


Lol, I have not even bought the tank yet. Wife and I are dealing with some unexpected bills (her speeding ticket) and we are going on our first anniversary trip in a few weeks. Hopefully I can start buying stuff at the beginning of next month. I am thinking of getting the 2x39w T5 Current Nova Extreme since I can get it for $75 locally. If I go the co2 route I can just get another one.


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

What is your overall plan for the tank? The only thing I have planned for the tank is some bundled driftwood that will be put on one side and branch out towards the middle. I got the wood from my oak tree that is constantly dropping dead branched.


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## nemosreef (Oct 19, 2007)

Tank looks great. Looks like the space was made for it. Where did you purchase the Catalina Solar 3x39w T5HO light from? I am interested in getting one like it but all I can find is the 2 or 4 bulb models and 3 would be great for my tank.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

nemosreef said:


> Tank looks great. Looks like the space was made for it. Where did you purchase the Catalina Solar 3x39w T5HO light from? I am interested in getting one like it but all I can find is the 2 or 4 bulb models and 3 would be great for my tank.


Thanks! I got it from catalina's site... http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

Awesome! Another 40B Journal . With your experience, I'd really like to see what becomes of this tank. You are definately off to a great start. That's the light Florida showed me and after seeing your pics, I think that light will be perfect for any 40B. (Get this light Florida!) 

Your tank placement however may serve as a challenge later, unless you don't mind getting up on a stool to work on it. It's def a perfect spot being your tank will be the centerpiece. 

Subscribed and welcome back!


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

I just realized, where the heck are you going to put the filter?


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## SearunSimpson (Jun 5, 2007)

Its wierd, I've always been into girls and stuff, but like, that Catalina is one hot thing! That is one awesome light. For real. I'm excited about that light.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

speedie408 said:


> Awesome! Another 40B Journal . With your experience, I'd really like to see what becomes of this tank. You are definately off to a great start. That's the light Florida showed me and after seeing your pics, I think that light will be perfect for any 40B. (Get this light Florida!)
> 
> Your tank placement however may serve as a challenge later, unless you don't mind getting up on a stool to work on it. It's def a perfect spot being your tank will be the centerpiece.
> 
> Subscribed and welcome back!


Thanks, I'm really excited too. It's either going to go really well or fail really hard! And since its in the middle of my living room it's going to be visable for everyone to see :icon_smil



FloridaFishGuy said:


> I just realized, where the heck are you going to put the filter?


I have a dual cartridge HOB emperor 400 filter for now, it just barely clears with the back of the wall. I took the biowheel's out of it as I've heard bad things about planted tanks and biowheels.



SearunSimpson said:


> Its wierd, I've always been into girls and stuff, but like, that Catalina is one hot thing! That is one awesome light. For real. I'm excited about that light.


She is pretty sexy :icon_smil


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Here's a link to my last tank... way back when

26g Planted Puffer Playground


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## trev (Mar 2, 2008)

nice start, cant beleive you pakced 100lbs of eco in there!! haha. 



cant wait for plants!


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## prjct92eh2 (Apr 8, 2008)

In! I'm thinking about getting that light in the 48" variety for a 55 gallon i'm moving over to.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

trev said:


> nice start, cant beleive you pakced 100lbs of eco in there!! haha.
> 
> cant wait for plants!


Haha yea it was a bit excessive, but the substrate calcuator said that would give me roughly a 2.6" depth... turns out its closer to 3-3.5" now



prjct92eh2 said:


> In! I'm thinking about getting that light in the 48" variety for a 55 gallon i'm moving over to.


Yea its an awesome light, I think it was the same price for the 55g one as well :icon_smil


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

skiboarder72 said:


> Haha yea it was a bit excessive, but the substrate calcuator said that would give me roughly a 2.6" depth... turns out its closer to 3-3.5" now


Those things always lie

Great start! I can't wait to see how it'll turn out.


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## foster400 (Apr 13, 2009)

<--jealous i dont have a cool spot for a tank like that. At first i was nervous for you to put 400-500lbs of tank/water/equipment on that shelf, but obviously it was built sturdy enough.

gonna be a good one :thumbsup:


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Great job so far! I can't wait to see this progress.


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## FSM (Jan 13, 2009)

I don't see the 3x39W fixture anywhere on the Catalina website.


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

Here it is. You have to ask for 36" in the comments section


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## Matsu49 (Jan 1, 2008)

Wow that light looks pretty awesome. I just wish that the legs looked a little better. I can't wait to see how your tank turns out.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

You know its an addicting hobby when you are up past midnight updating your planted tank journal when you have work in a few hours. 

Anyways, thanks for all the comments and everything... especially for a bunch of pictures of lights, bags of gravel, and empty tanks. 

Well do I have an update for you... I'll let the pictures tell the story as it's more exciting that way.

Woke up this morning to the moonlights... still on from the night before










Then I flipped on one light...










Then I flipped one more light...










Then I flipped all three on...










While I don't plan on doing this everyday, I figured it would help all of you compare the amount of light output and pattern from one, to two, to three T5 bulbs on. And yes all elements of photographic exposure were held constant for these three photos.

Anyways... on to the new stuff

Got back from work today to a package from Mr. Barr. Opened it up and found a ball of green mess inside (you know its sad when you get excited over getting a package that looks like this in the mail).










Low and behold though, when I straightened all the weeds out. They became beautiful aquarium plants.

Then I flipped on one light...










So I decided it would be a good time to plant them










Then i fired up the good ol' Co2... complete with bubble ladder madness










After meeting with Jimmy (prjct92eh2 who also happens to have some beautiful tanks), he gave me with some more awesome plants. After I planted those I decided it would be time to take a few glamour shots.
































































I'm really pumped about how well its going. A big thanks to Tom Barr for LOADING me up with some awesome plants. And for Jimmy (prjct92eh2) for some free extra plants. I wasn't supposed to get my catalina light until tonight, but here I am basking in the glow of an awesome tank and (already) pearling plants


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

Looks Great!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Nice. I really gotta see about moonlights for some of my setups--you have me convinced.

Those look like great plants. I look forward to seeing a plant list.

Again, nice photography too.


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## prjct92eh2 (Apr 8, 2008)

Looks good Josh! btw, which bulbs did you get from Catalina?


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Thanks guys!

Jimmy - They are the 6500k 39w 36" T5HO lights from catalina


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

I'm going to start this tank off nice and easy. I have two of my T5 lights setup to run for 7 hours a day (~2wpg). I'm going to leave the third off for now, and see how things are growing. No ferts yet... I've heard its good to wait a few weeks before starting to dose those. I have my Co2 setup at 1bps, diffused through the bubble ladder. 

This is just my starter scape, I have some awesome driftwood that is soaking now, and I'll swap out a lot of the stems for some more attractive plants as soon as everything gets fairly established. Might try a carpet too for the foreground. Lots to come, stay tuned!


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## FSM (Jan 13, 2009)

Looks good. I have the 48" version of the fixture, minus the moonlights.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Got a new filter, and did some trimming earlier! New pictures soon!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

I love going to clearance outlet centers. I picked up another 40g Whisper HOB filter for the awesome price of $3.97, brand new. Since my Penguin 400 was being a noisy mess, I decided to switch to dual 40g Whisper filters. It also allows me to put one on each end of the tank for better circulation. Good stuff.

I also picked up a 25ft Python for $16, and some dechlorinater for $0.50 a bottle. I love clearance centers.

Came home, swapped out the filters, cut my massive stem of P stellata in half and replanted it. I also added a amano glass Co2 diffuser so I have Co2 getting injected on both sides of the tank. The plants are loving it, some have already grown half an inch in the past couple days! Anyways, here are some photos!


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## cah925 (May 18, 2007)

This tank came together fast, everything looks great so far. You got a great selection of plants from everyone.


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

Cool!
Any concerns about the fireplace below? how hot does the tank get?

What cam are you using? those pic's are so crisp!


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## demosthenes (Aug 23, 2008)

if this tank was a woman, it would probably be a young version of megan fox.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Wonderful. The pictures, plants and scaping are all simply gorgeous. The P stellata is so luxurious. This is definitely a favorite tank of mine now.


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## justin182 (Aug 19, 2009)

looks fantastic! you are pretty good at taking pictures too~


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

AMAZING TANK!!! I'm about to start a 40 breeder as well and i'm using your tank as a guide. Where and how did you hear about those clearance outlet centers with aquarium stuff??? and do you plan on using a canister filter or stick with HOB filters?


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

cah925 said:


> This tank came together fast, everything looks great so far. You got a great selection of plants from everyone.


Thanks, yea planted tank members pretty much rock! These are mostly Tom Barr plants so thats why they are so beautiful 




mott said:


> Cool!
> Any concerns about the fireplace below? how hot does the tank get?
> 
> What cam are you using? those pic's are so crisp!


Not too many problems with the fireplace, I think it's pretty well insulated on top of it, its a gas fireplace so I can always flip it off with a flip of the switch.

I bought the camera at the same place that Shakespeare bought his pen. I just turn it on and it takes amazing photos for me! Haha, its a D300 though, these were taken with either my 50mm f1.8 or my tokina 11-16mm f2.8.



demosthenes said:


> if this tank was a woman, it would probably be a young version of megan fox.


Best comment ever :icon_lol:



sewingalot said:


> Wonderful. The pictures, plants and scaping are all simply gorgeous. The P stellata is so luxurious. This is definitely a favorite tank of mine now.


Yea its a cool plant, it hope both stems start to grow since I decapitated it a few days ago.



justin182 said:


> looks fantastic! you are pretty good at taking pictures too~


Thanks, I'd hope so otherwise I would have tons of angry brides following me around.



tinytim_inches said:


> AMAZING TANK!!! I'm about to start a 40 breeder as well and i'm using your tank as a guide. Where and how did you hear about those clearance outlet centers with aquarium stuff??? and do you plan on using a canister filter or stick with HOB filters?


Very cool, I'm sure there are a lot better tanks to go off of. I can't really use a canister because of the physical location of the tank. The HOB filters are working awesome though, since I have dual ones I get really good circulation, and I run them pretty low so they don't stir up the service at all (the main complaint against HOB's). I found out about the clearance center here. It's easy to just buy some nice plants, stick them in a tank for a few days and see how beautiful it is. It's another thing to see the tank looking this good a month from now


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## Vladdy (May 6, 2008)

I wish I could have a tank like that, but I'm not rich.


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## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

its starting to look awesome!!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

This thing is pearling up a storm... with only 2wpg! Some of the plants have already grown over an inch... in 4 days! 

When should I start the ferts?


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## Matsu49 (Jan 1, 2008)

You might as well start your ferts after you do your WC. I would just start off dosing half for now just to get the ball rolling. You wouldn't want to overdose and cause any unwanted algae.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

This is getting out of control... 

Here is one week ago









Here is today


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## danepatrick (Jul 17, 2006)

sweeeet. lookin good!


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

I'd say its growing well. When are you/what kind of fish will you be adding.


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## Ariel301 (Sep 7, 2009)

Wow, beautiful tank! And that's a really cool spot for it. I don't think I'd ever be watching tv...I would rearrange the couch to face the fireplace/fish tank. 

Does that bubble ladder work well for you? I got one a couple of years ago and tried it out (with DIY and then with pressurized) and it never worked. The bubbles wouldn't stay on the ladder, they just came out of it and floated away off of the bottom step.


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## MrJG (Feb 21, 2007)

Looking like a great start. Nice concept and execution putting it up in the little nook like that. 
Time to get the scissors ready!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Ariel301 said:


> Wow, beautiful tank! And that's a really cool spot for it. I don't think I'd ever be watching tv...I would rearrange the couch to face the fireplace/fish tank.
> 
> Does that bubble ladder work well for you? I got one a couple of years ago and tried it out (with DIY and then with pressurized) and it never worked. The bubbles wouldn't stay on the ladder, they just came out of it and floated away off of the bottom step.


It works pretty good for me, I haven't had any problems with bubbles coming off if it. I like being able to see how small the bubbles get at the top of the ladder, that way I'm sure that they are getting disolved in the water. 



MrJG said:


> Looking like a great start. Nice concept and execution putting it up in the little nook like that.
> Time to get the scissors ready!


Thanks! Yea they will probably be coming out tonight... along with a water change.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

What amazing growth from those plants.

Bravo!



skiboarder72 said:


>


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## prjct92eh2 (Apr 8, 2008)

Looking good!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

did a 50% water change today, added 3/8tsp of NO3, 1/8tsp K2SO4, and a pinch of KH2PO4, did a little trimming so i can get through my front door


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## jinsei888 (Apr 20, 2009)

My oh my, this scape is filling in nicely! I don't think I'll ever get sick of this shade of green.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Got a pair of gourmi's today! A honey sunset gourmi (lemon drop) and a red neon gourmi (sex on the beach)

Pix soon!


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

This has got to be the fastest growing tank I've ever seen!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

CL said:


> This has got to be the fastest growing tank I've ever seen!


It's insane, some plants are already back at the top of the tank again! I should have bought a taller tank! I just trimmed them down several inches two days ago!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

New fishies!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Nice fish!


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## demosthenes (Aug 23, 2008)

gorgeous! i used to have a few honey dwarfs, and i loved them, theyre such nice little guys


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Updated FTS:


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## demosthenes (Aug 23, 2008)

lookin good. i'm not sure how i feel about the slope in the foreground though. did you mean to do that? You should try flattening it out with a credit card and taking a few pictures, and then see if you'd rather have the wavy slopes or flat. I actually kind of like the waviness, its really unique, but most people flatten theirs. idk, just thought i'd mention it to see what you think about it. the plants are incredible, you've got a great green thumb, and some serious camera skillzzzz! haha


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

demosthenes said:


> lookin good. i'm not sure how i feel about the slope in the foreground though. did you mean to do that? You should try flattening it out with a credit card and taking a few pictures, and then see if you'd rather have the wavy slopes or flat. I actually kind of like the waviness, its really unique, but most people flatten theirs. idk, just thought i'd mention it to see what you think about it. the plants are incredible, you've got a great green thumb, and some serious camera skillzzzz! haha


Haha yea I did that on purpose, flat gravel is so 1990's :hihi:


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## cah925 (May 18, 2007)

Are you planning a foreground, or leave it open as is?


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

cah925 said:


> Are you planning a foreground, or leave it open as is?


Yea its going to get a full rescape soon. These are just some starter plants that I'm using to get the tank cycled and growing well


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Came home to one dead gourmi today... the other seems fine... I'm doing about 1-2bps on my bubble ladder... hm...


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Just checked water parameters

ph 6.8
kh 180ppm
gh 260ppm
nitrate 25ppm
nitrite .2ppm

which according to http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm chart says a Co2 of 69ppm... I don't believe that though with only 1-2bps of Co2


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## FSM (Jan 13, 2009)

You could get a drop checker.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)




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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Sweet picture!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Update time!

Added some more drift wood, 4 ghost shrimp, and 3 neon tetras. I'm going to do a rescape soon as it's just growing out of the tank. Any of the plants will be for sale soon!


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

Groovy man. What's your plan?


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## SearunSimpson (Jun 5, 2007)

I think a pair of apistos maybe and some Embers would look nice!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Thanks guys, I'm gonna get a bunch more neons for a big school, gotta clean up some of these plants too, they are getting out of hand


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Good idea. I like the idea of increasing the existing species. Nice tank!


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## jinsei888 (Apr 20, 2009)

skiboarder72 said:


> Update time!
> 
> Added some more drift wood, 4 ghost shrimp, and 3 neon tetras. I'm going to do a rescape soon as it's just growing out of the tank. Any of the plants will be for sale soon!


OMFG, you're scape is so full of WIN!!! Knew it'd be awesome!


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## urbguy (Sep 24, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> Looks like you have a good start and it looks like you know how to handle your camera.
> 
> That's a much better use of that spot than putting a TV there.


wow i couldnt have said it better myself! great tank skiboarder72! glad to see that you're fortunate enough to have such a deep mantel/frame to fit a 40g.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

jinsei888 said:


> OMFG, you're scape is so full of WIN!!! Knew it'd be awesome!


Great, because I just tore it all apart and did a new scape!



urbguy said:


> wow i couldnt have said it better myself! great tank skiboarder72! glad to see that you're fortunate enough to have such a deep mantel/frame to fit a 40g.


Thanks! Yea it's one of the reasons I bought the house


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Alright... did a little swimming today and this is what I came up with...

Before:









After:












































My shrimp dressed up as a ghost for halloween









Chain swords!

All the plants I pulled out are for sale in the plant swap forum!

Can't wait for this new scape to fill out!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

All the plants I pulled out










E. diversifolia









D. diandra









Myrio matogrossense

Buy them here


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## demosthenes (Aug 23, 2008)

HAHA ghost shrimp for halloween i get it! :icon_mrgr

it looks great, keep it up man.


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## demonbreedr16 (Jan 10, 2008)

Beautiful tank! I do have to say tho, Ghost Shrimp _*ARE*_ something to be feared since they will grab off legs of African Dwarf Frogs and Fins off of bettas and other fish!


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## urbguy (Sep 24, 2009)

skiboarder72 said:


> Great, because I just tore it all apart and did a new scape!
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks! Yea it's one of the reasons I bought the house


:::memo to self: buy house with huge fireplace mantle:::::


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## FSM (Jan 13, 2009)

demonbreedr16 said:


> Beautiful tank! I do have to say tho, Ghost Shrimp _*ARE*_ something to be feared since they will grab off legs of African Dwarf Frogs and Fins off of bettas and other fish!


I always thought of them as feeders...lol


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## DevinWolfe (Aug 1, 2009)

VERY cool driftwood setup!

I tried ghost shrimp in my 10G but my Cardinals destroyed them within minutes. It was really an experiment anyway as the ghost shrimp were super cheap and my Cherry Reds aren't big enough to breed yet, so I didn't want to risk some of them.


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## CESA92 (Oct 31, 2009)

amazing


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

thanks guys! I can't wait for the rest of the scape to fill in... I miss the massive amount of plants I used to have in there!


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## Dollface (Sep 30, 2008)

I have a feeling you won't be missing it for long. 

Loving the driftwood.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Update time!

Added 12 fresh neon's to the tank today. Up to 15 now!



























I love how fish can never figure out how to swim out an open bag...









A scary halloween shot taken last night at midnight


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## RcScRs (Oct 22, 2009)

WoW

This looks Great.

I would add some Malaysian Trumpet Snails, Amano Shrimp, and more Ghost Shrimp...

The Trumpet snails will aerate your Substrate, the amanos are algae control, and the ghosts are deitrus control...


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

RcScRs said:


> WoW
> 
> This looks Great.
> 
> ...


Thanks! Sounds like a good idea to me... I wish these were sold locally


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## jinsei888 (Apr 20, 2009)

doesn't matter if you rescaped...it's still awesome as heck! haha


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## tougefury (Sep 20, 2009)

sweet tank!


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## xiaxia (Mar 11, 2008)

Amazing tank!! and together with awesome photography skills and very nice quality photos makes this journal very pleasing to look at ^^


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Update time!




































The three neon amigos


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## jfrank85 (Mar 19, 2008)

One word....WOW. What an amazing adventure! I absolutely love your photography and the tank design! Great work on the imagery!


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## Moody636 (Oct 24, 2009)

Incredible tank. How'd you train your neons to pose for the camera like that?


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## Bmonarch (Oct 19, 2009)

Very VERY cool! Can't wait to get the plants I bought out of this tank! I only hope I can make them look as amazing as you have! WOW.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Thanks guys! Should look better in another week or so when it gets a little more grown in...

Drop checker is on its way so I don't have to measure it using the dead fish method anymore


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Plants are growing a lot slower these days... maybe because I'm not running 70ppm Co2 anymore :icon_lol:


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## DevinWolfe (Aug 1, 2009)

Those are gorgeous photos and the plants are looking great as well!

I wish I could pull off pictures that looked half that good.


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## blackandyellow (Jul 1, 2009)

Three neon amigos is a great photo!


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## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

great tank. My favorite 40B so far. How do you like the eco? I use it on two of my tanks and i love working with it. Im no expert, but why didnt u plant the front with hc, or glosso?


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## justin182 (Aug 19, 2009)

like always, love your photography! and the tank as well, of course!
70ppm, haha, I can only say your CO2 diffusion is very effective, looking at the bright side!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

What great pictures. I would never be smart enough to think to shoot this one...



skiboarder72 said:


>


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

thanks guys! I'm going to up the Co2 a bit today, I haven't seen a lot of pearling in awhile (or dead fish), so I think it's time to be upped. I can't wait for that drop checker to come in so I can see whats going on...


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Wow this thread fell all the way back to page 3! That must mean its time for another update!

Plants are growing good, at a moderate pace, the fish are happy, algae is minimal, life is good.


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

Time to work on that foreground brother.


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## DrinkTheYeastMix (Oct 14, 2009)

Are you planning on extending that lawn out from the back/center? Jealous of all that room in the front of your tank. I'll know exactly what its like very soon though just picked up my 40b today....for $30!!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Yea I need to extend the lawn, I'm looking for some HC or something similar to make a nice carpet


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Fresh water change and KNO3 and potassium doses today! Had to cut the P. Stelleta down again... 2nd time its grown out of the water!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That's a cool picture. You sure can handle that camera well.


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## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

hows the tank doing? do you see the neons swimming together often?


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

monkeyruler90 said:


> hows the tank doing? do you see the neons swimming together often?


The tank is doing good! I'm excited to get the plants your sending me, hopefully they will take care of the foreground, its in need.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Time for a picture update!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Wow the growth has really taken off again! I've been stepping it up to the full 3wpg lately, no major algae problems yet!


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## bigperm (Oct 29, 2009)

skiboarder - 
looks great!
I have the same ladder, and I never get more than a 15-20 bubbles/min, and you are getting 4-5 second?

What is your mix? How often to you change it? I think you said you added a canister? Are they both the hagen kind, or did you fabricate your own?

lots of questions, i know, but I appreciate the input!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

I *hate* riccia. I thought "oh cool look it can be tied to driftwood and look really awesome." It all went downhill when I put it in my tank. After it constantly trying to float up all the time, and then getting caught in all my other plants I decided it would be a good time to take it out. Easier said than done. It took over an hour to fish this crap out of the water. I had to siphon more water off, then fill it back up a couple times just to get it all out. And there are still a few more clumps of it. Good thing I only put a small handful of the stuff in that I bought. I've never had a problem with any aquatic plant before, but this one just irritated me to no end for the 2 hours it was in there.









A riccia mess... :angryfire

On the other side I did get some bacopa caroliniana, and Hemianthus micranthemoides, which are happily in the tank now. A big thanks goes to monkeyruler09 for hooking me up! 

Also my drop checker came in and is in the tank doing it's thing. Hopefully it will be more accurate than the dead fish method.










Anyways here are some updated scape pictures!









Doing a little maintenance









Am I pregnant?









Baby tear's in the house!









Some sexy E. Diversifolia









FTS









FTS 2.0


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## nismo tetra (Oct 11, 2009)

Hi, I must say awesome tank. Very nicely done. I wanted to ask you how you trim your E. Diversifolia. Do you just chop off the "head" and replant? I have a few stems and they are at the top of my water, but i don't want to chop off the nice upper part and leave a straight stem. I notice all your's have the nice bushy heads on them. I want to keep that look as well. 

Thanks and keep up the good work.


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

E. diversifolia is a damn weed. Beautiful plant though. IMO, best way to do it is cut them at the substrate level, shorten the stems, and replant. I got fed up with how fast mine grew so gave em all away. If you're planning to uproot the ones that have reached the surface, do keep in mind for such skinny stems, these plants have massive root systems. Be prepared to do a 30-50% WC.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

nismo tetra said:


> Hi, I must say awesome tank. Very nicely done. I wanted to ask you how you trim your E. Diversifolia. Do you just chop off the "head" and replant? I have a few stems and they are at the top of my water, but i don't want to chop off the nice upper part and leave a straight stem. I notice all your's have the nice bushy heads on them. I want to keep that look as well.
> 
> Thanks and keep up the good work.


I usually do just what you say, trim off the head's replant. After a few days the old stems will sprout new "heads" from the old leaf joints. Works good for me as long as you don't do them all at the same time!



speedie408 said:


> E. diversifolia is a damn weed. Beautiful plant though. IMO, best way to do it is cut them at the substrate level, shorten the stems, and replant. I got fed up with how fast mine grew so gave em all away. If you're planning to uproot the ones that have reached the surface, do keep in mind for such skinny stems, these plants have massive root systems. Be prepared to do a 30-50% WC.


Mine grows pretty fast, but it seems like plant to plant varies a lot. I have some that really take off, and some that like to mosey on up toward the light. The fast ones get cutoff and replanted so it looks pretty level.


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## bigperm (Oct 29, 2009)

bigperm said:


> skiboarder -
> looks great!
> I have the same ladder, and I never get more than a 15-20 bubbles/min, and you are getting 4-5 second?
> 
> ...


 
this guy asks some very good questions? what are your thoughts?


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## nismo tetra (Oct 11, 2009)

Thank you speedie and skiboarder. Yea I only have a few stems, but one has skyrocketed in the past week. But the others seem to be growing at a slower pace. Good to know, I will chop the head off and replant. Thanks.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

bigperm said:


> skiboarder -
> looks great!
> I have the same ladder, and I never get more than a 15-20 bubbles/min, and you are getting 4-5 second?
> 
> ...


Sorry for the delay 

I am not getting about 4-5 per second out of the bubble latter. I have around 1.5bps coming through that. I have a small amano diffuser setup on the other side of the tank that gets the rest of the co2.

Nope no canister's here, still rocking the dual whisper 40 HOB filters with no complaints. As far as mix, I think your referring to DIY co2 which I used to do back several years ago, but never on this tank. :thumbsup:


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## jinsei888 (Apr 20, 2009)

skiboarder72 said:


> Also my drop checker came in and is in the tank doing it's thing. Hopefully it will be more accurate than the dead fish method.



Lol, my favorite method, haha!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

jinsei888 said:


> Lol, my favorite method, haha!


The drop checker isn't doing a whole lot right now, it stays pretty green for all the times I've seen it... no blues or yellows, maybe this is a good thing? I'll up my co2 and see :fish:


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Green is the color you want it to be.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Got 4 more neons and two more shrimp now... up to 16 and 3...


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Update time!

Thanks to Chris (B16CRXT), I got some awesome new plants today. A whole bunch of some blyxa, and a massive amazon sword. Here are some before and after pictures!


















Fresh plants!




























I have a bunch of the trimmings for sale. PM me if you want some (lots of myrio, e. diversifolia, baby tears, amazon swords).


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Wow that's some really tall Blyxa. Do you plan on trimming it and putting it in the foreground?


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## DrinkTheYeastMix (Oct 14, 2009)

Wow that sword is intense! Love it. That's Blyxa A. right? That's some tall stuff man.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Wow that's some really tall Blyxa. Do you plan on trimming it and putting it in the foreground?


Probably not, I'm going to let the micro swords (I think they are actually a type of rotala) fill out the foreground. 



DrinkTheYeastMix said:


> Wow that sword is intense! Love it. That's Blyxa A. right? That's some tall stuff man.


Yea that sword is real intense. Not sure the type of blyxa, its whatever Chris gave me. I've never tried it before but I'm already liking it.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Dang already burned through 5lbs of Co2... now its Thanksgiving so I can't get a refill!


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## Emerica88 (Oct 16, 2009)

How did you use that much co2 in a month?


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## redman88 (Dec 12, 2008)

i just went and got mine refilled yesterday, because i plan on putting it on my 55 before the weekend is over


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## oheresy (May 2, 2008)

Wow. I last filled my 5lb tank almost 6 months ago. Then again, I only have a 26 gallon aquarium. Are you sure you don't have any leaks?


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

You def have a leak brother. Check all the connections with a solution of water and dishwashing soap.


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## mgdmirage (Mar 30, 2009)

Beautiful tank but i think the blyxa is killing the hardscape on the left, i loved the driftwood over there it's getting lost


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

hm.... i think it's because I don't have Co2 tubing through the whole thing, I just have it on the way to the splitter, now that I have a Co2 drop checker i'll see if i can just get by with the one bubble ladder


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Wow 5,000 views on here already? 

Anyways, got the Co2 tank filled back up again. After dropping down to 1wpg for the last week, its great to see a green drop checker and pearling plants again!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Alright alright, its time for an update I know...

Skipped the water change last week because I dropped down to 1wpg the week before because of the lack of Co2, but the good news is that we are back up and running swimmingly with a fresh water change, ferts, filter medium, and Co2


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## DrinkTheYeastMix (Oct 14, 2009)

I wish that AMAZING sword wasn't so hidden...


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Well, I did the weekly waterchange and unhid the sword. Looks a LOT cleaner now.

I have all the plants I pulled out for sale over on the FS forum.

Here is a current FTS:


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Wow its amazing how much a tank grows when you go away for a little while... I came back to this today: I like it though so I'm gonna keep it a little overgrown for a bit


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That's awesome.

I like the monochrome green in that picture. The monochrome sets up the contrasts between textures of the different kinds of foliage.


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## DrinkTheYeastMix (Oct 14, 2009)

haha lucky you. you sould see what I came home to after 5 days. +1 on the green


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Catalina just rocks...

I noticed my light was looking a little darker the other day and sure enough, one of the T5 bulbs is already out. So I emailed catalina, and they replied back with a tracking number of a new bulb, now that is some customer service!!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

I got a new 60" fish tank for christmas! The best thing about it is that I never have to do water changes, it never grows algae, and the fish never need to be fed! This is great!!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Update time!!

Not a whole lot is new with the tank, growth is good, algae is minimal, fish are happy, plants are growing. Here are some new pictures though!


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## MrJG (Feb 21, 2007)

Lookin' great man!


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## Triv (Jan 10, 2010)

Seems a shame to have that huge tv in there that will never get watched....


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## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

Thats not a tv its a giant computer screen! :O 

nice tank


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## Triv (Jan 10, 2010)

Hahahha.. I can see the Plantedtank.net plug now.....


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

great tank! i love the shot with the tank on the TV.

cheers-K


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

Definitely some great inspiration for the tank I'm starting


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Wow it's been a long time since I've posted on here. Idk what it is. This hobby seems to come in big spurts. I get really addicted to it for a few months then I sorta stop caring as much. I've dropped down to bi-weekly 50% water changes, and it seems to be working fine! Here is an updated FTS:


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## !shadow! (Jan 25, 2010)

i'm very curious as to what type of camera you use, cause it's a damn nice one


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

!shadow! said:


> i'm very curious as to what type of camera you use, cause it's a damn nice one


its some black one... I'm not sure of the name


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## Tamelesstgr (Jan 11, 2008)

Great looking tank! Did you use any cushion under the tank like a mat? Just curious about the flatness and support in that cove.


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## !shadow! (Jan 25, 2010)

skiboarder72 said:


> its some black one... I'm not sure of the name


so you like to play dirty eh? Soooo how many compliments on your journal is it gonna take me to get you to crack? lt's not like i could afford it anyways it's prob top end. anyways keep the pics coming!


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

Great looking tank! Enjoyed looking over the progress.:thumbsup:


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Time for another update!

Did a major trimming this time, got a new lens as well that I had to try out...










More photos here: J Jones Photography Blog | Planted Tank


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## prjct92eh2 (Apr 8, 2008)

Looking good Josh!

I like this one


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

How are these guys doing?


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## AoxomoxoA (Apr 22, 2010)

Green Leaf Aquariums said:


> How are these guys doing?


+1!!!1! I had forgotten this awesome mantle tank.


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