# Matt's 20g Planted aquarium



## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Using Active Flora substrate, Just waiting for the water to clear up, its been maybe 15 hrs since i filled it. Kind of want to throw a slope into the back right side. Might as well go ahead and stirr it up some more before i start planting anyway here is the tank.


Morning of day 2









*20g Tall
Active Flora Substrate.
DIY CO2
Alternate Excel doses.
T5 lighting fixture with 10k and 6,5k bulbs
Plethora of plants and moss*

*3 Serpae
5 Neon tetra
1 Baby angel Fish
2 Bamboo shrimp.*


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

Welcome to TPT! What type of equipment will you be useing and do you have any idea of what you want it to look like\keep?


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Well as im sure you can see im at the VERY beggining stages. The substrate is Active flora and its insane how the thicker darker substrate makes it to the bottom and the lighter "sootier" stuff rises to the top, you can clearly see the two different colors on the front of the tank.

The aquarium came with a Tetra whisper 10-30 water filter, ive heard mixed things about them but hey, im going to give it a shot and see how she works. May replace later on.

Have a heater and a few odds and ends to pic up over the weekend.

Hopefully get it arranged over this coming weekend.

There are some beautiful tanks on this site, here is one of my favs.

(weird angle but its a wonderful tank)
and its a 10g









Also plans for a DIY CO2 reactor and a defuser with the use of a power head. (once i get plants and such in there)

Any advice for a newbie?


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Must say that the tank is doing extremely better.

Made my way to the store and bought some goodies:
(taken with an iphone)









New heater rocks and wood added.

Ive had the wood soaking in chlorine free water for a few weeks, replacing the water every few days.

here are some pics.


















http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/fiveandnoise/Dec5th2009cloeup1.jpg


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

*Oh dear*

Sooo, have had the tank up and running for a few days, been busy with holiday festivities and getting odds and ends together for the tank, so no fish or plants yet, but i was adding a small powerhead to the tank and i noticed there is this crazy white spiderweb-ish material essentially growing on my driftwood. I read somewhere else on here that its just a type of bacteria that grows on new wood and when tanks are being rearranged but i just wanted to check

I want to catch it early if its something bad.


These pictures are taken with my iphone so bare with me:

In this picture reference the highlighted areas along the edge of the driftwood.









In this second picture reference the line of arrows.


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## Dr. Acula (Oct 14, 2009)

You were right, that's nothing to worry about. It looks ugly and feels gross, but if you just leave it alone it will gradually disappear. And you do just have to leave it alone. It comes back after picking it off, and nothing eats it. Harmless though.

But that's a fun looking piece of wood. Good luck with your tank!


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

*Big update*

Alright, so today = big day.

New plants!








the tank now begins to take shape, and color.roud:roud:roud:roud:

I did some modification to the lighting, as you can tell from the first pictures that it was waaay too low.

the water is still cloudy but def clearing up.

PLanted a few "seeds" as well.

Defuser set up.








well see how well it works, power head makes great tinny bubble.
First mixture if DIY co2 mix. (How long does the mixture usually take before activating?) no rush, just curious.


Got a timer as well so i can completely control the lighting sequence
My room is pretty dark during the day as well as i work during the day. i set the schedule to come on around 2 pm, and go off around 10ish. I did this so i could enjoy the tank while im at home.

this could prove disastrous and my tank have waaay too much light.

thanks for reading.
Matt


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That looks pretty good so far. Dr. Acula is right you don't have to worry about that stuff growing on the wood it goes away with it and it should be harmless.

That white-edged plant positioned right behind the driftwood is a _Dracaena_. It is actually a terrestrial plant and will eventually drown and perish and rot if kept underwater.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> That looks pretty good so far. Dr. Acula is right you don't have to worry about that stuff growing on the wood it goes away with it and it should be harmless.
> 
> That white-edged plant positioned right behind the driftwood is a _Dracaena_. It is actually a terrestrial plant and will eventually drown and perish and rot if kept underwater.


Ah you are correct! i should have double checked.

It looks nice so i will most likely leave it in for a week or two until i get some more plants in.

I will most likely keep the plant, and plant it in a pot or somthing, since ive already planted them and i doubt the store will take them back.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Quick photo update.
waiting on paypal than should have some replacements on the non-aquatics.
Was running DIY co2 for the first time. felt that i made too much (bottle was starting to pooch out and the tank was filled with tons of co2 bubbles, seemed that it might have been a bit too much, making new batch tonight with smaller portions


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

This is from my other tank, but its a good shot of the tank family. Somebody that lives in a shell is mighty hungry...


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

New plant update.

Did some rearranging with my new plants that came in.

Took out the Dracaena, never caused any harm by having it in there for a few weeks.

Also i need to move the windelov fern from the substrate to my driftwood, also have my DIY CO2 vs 2.0 set up.

This time just added a "filter" or a Bubble counter bottle along with the mixture bottle, just so i dont get any yeast mix in the tank, and i can have somewhat of a refrence of how much co2 is being introduced, about one bubble every 1.5 sec


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

*Holiday update.*

Hope everyone had a great holiday.

Spent mine up north.

I left my tank essentialy unattended while i was gone, i had a light timer and had my DIY CO2 set up. Tons of growth while i was gone for the week.





































I tested the water last night when i got back, My PH is really high, so high that i would be afrraid to add fish.

What is a good way to bring the PH down?


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Matty said:


> I tested the water last night when i got back, My PH is really high, so high that i would be afrraid to add fish.
> 
> What is a good way to bring the PH down?


Here is what I have found. 
 *PH lower*
 

Filtering water over peat
Add bogwood to the tank
Injects carbon dioxide CO2
Water changes with soft water or RO (reverse osmosis) water
In time it should go down. Don't use the chemicals to lower the ph. They just create a yo-yo affect. 

I have noticed that Seachem Excel lowers my ph a bit. My tap water ph of 8.4. In the tank ph is around 7.5. 

What about your gh, and kh?


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Thanks, i have some wood that i soaked while i was out of town and is ready to add to the tank so i will likely do that tonight. And im already adding CO2.

I Should know this by now but what are the suitable peramiters for gh, and kh.

What are the affects of the two?

and Where can i find a test kit for it?


Hilde said:


> Here is what I have found.
> *PH lower*
> 
> 
> ...


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## Buckster (Dec 14, 2009)

My initial impressions were:










followed by:










Sorry couldn't resist! Lookin good so far!!


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Buckster said:


> My initial impressions were:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


haha Brilliant.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Oh, what humor you have!:hihi:

The plant with white on the edges looks like a terrarium plant.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Hilde said:


> The plant with white on the edges looks like a terrarium plant.


It is, the "artist rendition" is from when i first set up the tank, that plant has been removed and replaced, check out my blog in my signature to see the updated tank.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

New years update

I moved some things around, added the last bit of wood. And ive got some new inhabitants to get the levels going in the tank. Going to get some neon tetras in a week or so.



















The new fish seem to love the plants. Flying in between and under everything.
Alot of fun to watch.










Also came across a locally owned fish store here in memphis called Memfish
great people, and a wonderful store.

They definitely have more saltwater products and fish. But also have more "gear" medications and plant products than any of the chain stores around the memphis area.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

The Wisteria in front of the wood will become a big bush. Thus I think you should put it behind the wood.



Matty said:


> New years update
> Also came across a locally owned fish store here in memphis called Memfish. They have more saltwater products and fish. But also have more "gear" medications and plant products than any of the chain stores around the memphis area.


Sounds like you may have to buy plants on line, unless you can find a local aquarium association.


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## Strick (Apr 6, 2009)

How high is your pH? Most fish are very good at adapting to different pH, but a lot of pH altering methods work too quickly for the fish to "keep up". IME, trying to keep your pH in some ideal range is rarely worth the effort, and can do your fish more harm than good if the pH fluctuates at all.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Matty said:


> I Should know this by now but what are the suitable peramiters for gh, and kh.


The main thing is to create a balance. If you add Co2 and have a kh 
below 5 you have to add it slowly. Other wise your ph will go down to fast. This is what I learned from Hoppy. Those whom aim for numbers do weekly water changes. I think it is easier to just leave the tank alone for a month. Thus the eco-system balances out. No eco-system is the same. 

Some buy fish that are know to thrive in their water parmaters. Uncertain if this is necessary for most fish live in areas not similar to their habitat. At worst it would affect their breeding.

I bought my multi test kit on Ebay.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Hilde said:


> The Wisteria in front of the wood will become a big bush. Thus I think you should put it behind the wood.
> 
> 
> 
> Sounds like you may have to buy plants on line, unless you can find a local aquarium association.


Thank you for the suggestion, only one small problem this is the list of plants that i received (and that are in the tank) plus the taller ones around the wood.
2 windelov java fern
1 banana plant
3 small crypts (parva, spiralis, and one I don't know what it is)
1 amazon sword baby (3 inches tall)
3 stems rotala rotundifolia
3 stems bacopa colorata "pink"
1 stem hygrophila corymbosa 
1 stem Ludwigia arcuata

Which plant are you referring to? the long leafed one? i looked up the Wisteria in the plant data base and couldn't reference which plant like that was in my tank.

Yeah there isn't much here as in plant shops or anything really, the new fish store does have a selection but nothing with grassy type plants or anything.

Thanks :fish:


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Matty said:


> 1 stem hygrophila corymbosa
> Which plant are you referring to?


The 4 stems with zagged leaves right in front of the dog looking wood will become bushes. The hygrophila corymbosa will get big too.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Strick said:


> How high is your pH? Most fish are very good at adapting to different pH, but a lot of pH altering methods work too quickly for the fish to "keep up". IME, trying to keep your pH in some ideal range is rarely worth the effort, and can do your fish more harm than good if the pH fluctuates at all.





Hilde said:


> The main thing is to create a balance. If you add Co2 and have a kh
> below 5 you have to add it slowly. Other wise your ph will go down to fast. This is what I learned from Hoppy. Those whom aim for numbers do weekly water changes. I think it is easier to just leave the tank alone for a month. Thus the eco-system balances out. No eco-system is the same.
> 
> Some buy fish that are know to thrive in their water parmaters. Uncertain if this is necessary for most fish live in areas not similar to their habitat. At worst it would affect their breeding.
> ...


The PH is def a little on the high side, I've been testing pretty regularly and its been very constant. I made up a new batch of CO2 mix last night, and that has brought down the PH a little bit but i don't think it was enough to stress any of the little guys out.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Hilde said:


> The 4 stems with zagged leaves right in front of the dog looking wood will become bushes. The hygrophila corymbosa will get big too.


Got ya, those were the first plants i bought.
Its these plants correct?


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Matty said:


> Got ya, those were the first plants i bought.
> Its these plants correct?


Yes those are the one's that I was talking about. I started with 5 5in stems in my 29 gallon and it became a big bush in a few months. Where is the hygrophila corymbosa?

Now you just have to keep an eye out for algae on the plants. If you go by 3 months with none then the eco-system is balanced.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Hilde said:


> Yes those are the one's that I was talking about. I started with 5 5in stems in my 29 gallon and it became a big bush in a few months. Where is the hygrophila corymbosa?
> 
> Now you just have to keep an eye out for algae on the plants. If you go by 3 months with none then the eco-system is balanced.


Thanks, alright with moving stuff around is it going to be too stressful to the new fish? should i wait a few days for them to get accustomed? there are no signs of that plant "bushing" out just growing vertically a ton. But you sound like you've had quite the experience so i will plan on moving them behind the wood .


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Matty said:


> No signs of that plant "bushing" out just growing vertically a ton. Moving stuff around is it going to be too stressful to the new fish?


Yeh, but it has been a short time and the view of the wood is being compromised. 

Can't say for certain that the fish will be affected, for I don't know what fish you have and have not used Active Flora substrate. My fish weren't affected by moving things around until after a year, then had an abundance of mulm. Was told fish affected for ammonia can settle in the substrate. In fact I moved the substrate on the right side up. Just do a water change afterwards. If you have a dust storm it may clear up in a day. Do you have an extra filter you can put in to clear the haze?

What fish do you have?


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Hilde said:


> Yeh, but it has been a short time and the view of the wood is being compromised.
> 
> Can't say for certain that the fish will be affected, for I don't know what fish you have and have not used Active Flora substrate. My fish weren't affected by moving things around until after a year, then had an abundance of mulm. Was told fish affected for ammonia can settle in the substrate. In fact I moved the substrate on the right side up. Just do a water change afterwards. If you have a dust storm it may clear up in a day. Do you have an extra filter you can put in to clear the haze?
> 
> What fish do you have?


Got cha, The fish have only been in a day or two, right now just 3 serpae tetra, adding more later, slowly.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Did some moving around, might be too bunched together but i wanted to leave room between the plants and filter since you said they would be bushing out.

Still cloudy but this tank clears up pretty fast.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Matty said:


> Did some moving around, might be too bunched together but i wanted to leave room between the plants and filter since you said they would be bushing out.


Mine may have became bushy from cutting it down. For where you cut it 2 stems will grow.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Hilde said:


> Mine may have became bushy from cutting it down. For where you cut it 2 stems will grow.


Got ya, i will need to trim them soon, can you plant the trimmings?


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Matty said:


> Got ya, i will need to trim them soon, can you plant the trimmings?


Yep, that is what you do with stem plants like Hygro. Mine had no roots in the beginning.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Hilde said:


> Yep, that is what you do with stem plants like Hygro. Mine had no roots in the beginning.


Awesome, so thats a way to get that bushy forest look is starting off with a few plants like i have then trimming and replanting?

And when im trimming the plants do i want to just trim the tops off? or halfway down? or does it really matter?


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Matty said:


> And when im trimming the plants do i want to just trim the tops off? or halfway down? or does it really matter?


Here are some things that I have read-

1st trimming, let stem plants grow to the top, and then trim to halfway point.

Afyounie, member of Aquatic plant central wrote:
What I usually do is just look at the mess of stems, and visualize what I want it to look like. Then I see what stems I need to cut. When I do cut, I cut more than what I want. This is because the plant will grow into the look, rather than me trimming it to the look I want. If you trim it to the look, then you have to trim more often to keep it looking how you want it 

natural aquariums
The important part of the stemmed plant is the node. This is the little bump area on a stem where leaves or roots can grow out. When you're trimming your stemmed plants and starting new plants you need at least one node under the gravel to grow your new roots and at least one above the gravel where your new stems and leaves will start growing.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

*Brown algae?*

So things have been going alright. I have a cheap filter set up right now. Its one of those deals where the whole filter sits in the tank and the top is right above the water level.

Anywho, i noticed some brownish (i assumed ) algae started growing on the side of the filter and it looks like its starting to get on my plants. No real harm looks to have happened yet, but ive heard of newer tanks having this problem.

Any suggestions?

ps. the water is a little murky too, not chrystal clear as it used to be.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Matty said:


> Anywho, i noticed some brownish (i assumed ) algae started growing on the side of the filter and it looks like its starting to get on my plants. No real harm looks to have happened yet, but ive heard of newer tanks having this problem. The water is a little murky too, not chrystal clear as it used to be.


Do a water change, 1/4 of tank. Do you have any pictures of it?


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Hilde said:


> Do a water change, 1/4 of tank. Do you have any pictures of it?



Awesome, thats what i was kind of thinking, no pictures, my iphone couldnt really pic out the brown on the leaves, lame.

thanks again!


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Matty said:


> my iphone couldnt really pic out the brown on the leaves, lame.


Just a front view picture of the tank would help me you give more suggestions.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

If anything the picture i took last night looks better than the others, but there is a brownish foggy to the water.








I did some looking in the filter, Im pretty sure i need to pull it out and give it a good cleanup, there was (im assuming) brown algae on the lip of the filter. 

So tonight will probably be cleanup night, big water change clean filter out and look into buying a new filter and new light.

P.S. the Wisterias are starting to bush at the top, totally see what you mean now.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Matty said:


> I did some looking in the filter, Im pretty sure i need to pull it out and give it a good cleanup, there was (im assuming) brown algae on the lip of the filter.


Looking better.

Be careful cleaning the filter, for you don't want to kill the good bacteria. I put dechlorinator in pitcher of lukewarm tap water and let sit for a few minutes. Then I put the filter in it.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

So, Late christmas present.









A Nova Extreme 30" 2x24 watt T5 High output lighting system.









Came with: 

One, 10,000k Daylight bulb
One, 460NM Actinic bulb










I know I've heard that T5 are good ? yeah? 

help me on this one.

Aunt said they talked to their local aquarium shop and said this would be great.

What do you think?


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Big re-scape,
My girlfriend got me a bunch of new plants. tried to plant as much and as well as i could.Also took 2 plants out, the onions that were growing all the way to the top of the water, put dwarf grass in their place.


Hope all works well, If not ill just take it out, water is a little more clear now than when i took these pics.



























Still thinking of getting a new bulb, not sure if im diging the "blueness"


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

It is getting better and better. I not good at scaping so I give limited suggestions. Think that the Java fern and Wisteria should switch places. For the Java, left rear, probably not getting taller but Wisteria will.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Good idea, i think that might balance the high end of the tank and let the plant flow come down to the left.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Things are looking good, removed the actinic light and just using the 10k for right now.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

My tank at 1.5 months.








I bought a new diffuser for the DIY CO2. not action from it yet, but I'll see how it goes.








Still a little brown algae on the some of the plants. not too bad though.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

So things have been going ok, still battling a brown algae problem. Added more light as I've read that brown algae is a low light algae.

Anywho i came across 2 tiny black snails today.. I have no idea how they got in there, nor how i didnt notice them until now.

Do i need to remove these? they seem to be hanging out only on driftwood and no plants have been eaten.










on the tip of the driftwood, its kind of out of focus.

Please help!


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## JennaH (Sep 28, 2009)

the snails probably came from snail eggs that were on the plants. most likely they will reproduce VERY QUICKLY and you will have like 50 in a few weeks haha. one cause of algae is too much light. increasing the light will most likely make it worse. i would only run one bulb for now until you get your co2 going steady through the diffuser and cut back on the length of time you have the lights on. i would go for like 6 hrs


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Hey everyone! It's been a while. Just got back from Mardi Gras. I left both of my tanks pretty much unattended for like 4 days. I don't think I have ever gone that long before.

We turned the heat off at the house, which i think resulted in the loss of a pleco in my smaller tank. The heater is kinda dinky in my small 10 gallon.

The 20 gallon looks alot different than last time I posted. My shrimp has molted once which was crazy. And i also have 6 new neons.

20g inhabitants.
3 Serpae Tetra
6 neon tetra
1 Large Bamboo shrimp.

Pics.

















I will try to get some high res photos up soon.

Let me know what you think please!


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## shane3fan (Nov 2, 2009)

I hope you have better luck mixing the Serpae tetras and the Neon tetras than I did. I had similar numbers to yours, and my Serpaes ended up terrorizing the Neons. I returned the Serpaes after about two weeks of non stop bickering.


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## Amazonfish (Oct 20, 2009)

Wow, that banana plant really took off for you! Everything looks to be growing well, but judging by the smaller leaves on the middle part of the rotala, it had some difficulty at one time, maybe when they were acclimating? In any case, it has really filled in and looks great. I think it would look cool if you grouped each species of plant together. In other words, all of your rotala rotundifolia would be in one place, etc.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

shane3fan said:


> I hope you have better luck mixing the Serpae tetras and the Neon tetras than I did. I had similar numbers to yours, and my Serpaes ended up terrorizing the Neons. I returned the Serpaes after about two weeks of non stop bickering.


So far so good, I've had the tetra for atleast a month or so, they have always nipped at one-another but now that i look at the tank i do see one or two of the neons getting chased. They usually knid of school together so maybe that deters them from fighting.

I have a DIY CO2 setup that was pretty much empty when i came back from my trip. And I'm slowly having to diffuse it. It seems that when I diffuse it at max potential the neons get real frantic after about 20 min or so. Im sure it's due to the change in PH anyone have an idea if that's right?



Amazonfish said:


> Wow, that banana plant really took off for you! Everything looks to be growing well, but judging by the smaller leaves on the middle part of the rotala, it had some difficulty at one time, maybe when they were acclimating? In any case, it has really filled in and looks great. I think it would look cool if you grouped each species of plant together. In other words, all of your rotala rotundifolia would be in one place, etc.


Yeah that banana plant has gotten crazy! I lost a little bit of growth while i was gone as some leaves look shriveled but hopefully will bounce back. The rotala I've actually trimmed and replanted numerous times. 

I think organizing things would def look better. But im going to give the new neons a week or two to adjust before i go messing with the plants.


Im pretty happy with things so far. It's so easy to jump out there and throw everything in a fish tank at once, but if you take your time it seems to work alot better.

This big plant in the middle, Not sure what it is, but can I just trim the stem like most? its gotten huge!


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## Amazonfish (Oct 20, 2009)

That's Hygrophila corymbosa. Yep, trim just like any other stem plant.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

New video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wTfP6RKBYA


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Tons of new pics.









I'm having trouble with snails. So this is my trap, I feel my large snail (in my small tank) cucumber all the time and he loves it. so im going to try the same with these small ones.









Grass has been doing ok, getting long.




































A little camera happy i know.. Thanks for looking!


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Well, it's been a while, About 8 months. And things have been going pretty good I would say. I hope everyone has had my luck.

Ive put some new driftwood and moss in the tank.

Fish now:
6 Neons
3 BIG Serpae. (these have reallly grown in the past 6 months.)
2 Bamboo shrimp. One of them is huuuge.
1 Angelfish (NEW) He will eventually get too big. (Gives me an excuse to get a bigger tank. hehe)

I Will try to get some better pics up.




















It's a bit overgrown in these pics. They have been trimmed since these pics.


Thanks for looking and I'd love feedback.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Just got a new HD camera today for an early birthday gift, if your interested have a look.

http://www.youtube.com/my_videos?feature=mhum


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Getting ready to head out for the weekend so i figured I would do a cleanup/waterchange . Caught a time lapse video of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KqpFYDXJAs

Still dealing with green hair algae. Anyone have a remedy for this?
You can see towards the end of the video I'm pretty much pulling most of it out by hand..


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

How long do you have your lights on? I think a split period would help. Think 3hrs on - 3hr off - 3hrs on would help. Its helping me deal with string algae. At least it doesn't seem to be affecting the growth of the plants.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

I have them on for about 6 Hours in the afteroon/night. From about 4 to 10. I will try your method. I should be getting my new Canister filter this week so perhaps that will help.


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## Matty (Dec 4, 2009)

Well, I've been teetering on if I should make the dive and go with a canister style filter for my planted tank. I've been using the "in-tank" style filter for the past year or so. It's worked but I could tell it had a little trouble with the dead leaves and stuff so I did some research.

I posted a thread on this forum asking for advice.

I was turned to the Sun Sun canister filter sold on eBay.

I decided to make the plunge. This is what came yesterday.










First off I must say this sucker is pretty big. Definitely wasnt expecting it to be this large.

Came packaged pretty nice.










Everything strait out of the box










The inlet and outlet tubes assembled 










I had to shorten the intake tube almost in half. With the tube being in sections I just took two of them out.

Canister opened and three trays are ready to go.










Rings, which I've seen before.










And not positive exactly what the other two trays are. Maybe carbon? Can someone help me on these two other trays? It says no where in the instructions whats in those trays. Should I maybe replace them with something else?

















After installing it I felt like I had to prime the pump for ever. Finally got her going.
I still have quite a bit of hosing on the return line which is why I'm assuming the flow isnt insane. In reality the flow is perfect, even for my smaller 20g tall









Perfect fit!









I have both my canister and my older In tank filter going. I will move some things around after two weeks or so and my canister gets some of that good bacteria going.

So far so good. Im extremely pleased with the quality and like everyone has said, there is barely any noise at all. like None. My tank is in my room and I'm a pretty light sleeper. Didn't bother me a bit.

The biiig downside are the instructions. They make absolutely no sense what so ever. Once I get back home I will try to type out one of the instructions. Some of them are pretty comical. 

Comments?


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