# 75g and 46g rescape.



## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

So I started out with these as dirted tanks and they thrived, but eventually the dirt began to smell. This was them with dirt


Then I redid the 75g, but it never amounted to much. This was it before I did the rescape.

So Sunday when we got back from TN with 2 very nice pieces of Driftwood I collected I decided to give them some attention. The pieces both float so they are weighted down with rocks which will eventually be removed.

The 75g 
Plants
Anubias Barteri
Anubias Nana petit
Ludwigia
Crypt Wendti
Some Monte Carlo
Lots of Java Fern

Fish
3 Bosemani
3 Turqoiuse Rainbow
3 Praecox Rainbow
3 Australian Rainbows
1 Synodontis cat
1 Clown Pleco
1 Pictus Cat
1 Upside Down Cat
7 Serpae
5 Black skirt Tetra
4 Von Rio tetra
2 Bolivian Rams


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

Both tanks get Glut and DIY CO2. I just added root tabs and started dosing the water column. This is the 46g. It really needs to grow in, but it's in desperate need of a new light fixture that I hope to buy next week. 

Plants
Anubias Barteri
HC Japan
Val's
Java Fern 
Bolbitis 
Dwarf Sag

Fish
1 Dantum Angel
6 Rosy Barb
5 Oto's
5 Cory cats
1 Lyretail Molly
1 albino BN pleco
3 Amano shrimp


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

I've got a couple spots where I'd like to add some Crypt Parva and some Blyxa.
I'd like the Parva in the front of both tanks. I'd like some Blyxa on the left side of the 75g as well as in the center in front of the big driftwood log.
I'd also like it along the left front of the 46g. Anyone have any suggestions?


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Really like the new wood in the 75.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

burr740 said:


> Really like the new wood in the 75.


It's a great piece. I wish the top wasn't covered with huge stones so you could see the slopes back there. There are like 3 little caves in it. One of my Bolivian Rams claimed one already.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

I started up my 20g today. Spent the day making a CFL fixture for it. It turned out pretty well. It's not going to win any beauty contests, but for less than $20 it's putting out 59w of CFL lighting. 
I'm looking for some Blyxa to add to all of the tanks.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

Not a ton to report. The 20g is running. I trimmed the rotala and Ludwigia in the 75g and moved it to the center. Added a Sword in its place. Also added some. Downoi to the 46g and the 20g. It's emmer see growth so it will have to transition. I've got a bunch of plants coming and more root tabs. 
I've got 
Blyxa Japonica
Red Rubin Swords
Echinodorus 
Some Aponogetons
And a couple others. I figure about a month to see some nice changes. In the meantime, this is the 20g as it stands


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

I removed the rotala and ludwigia from the right side of the 75 gallon and trimmed the stems and then replanted them in the middle. The right side I added an Amazon Sword that will fill in the area nicely I hope.

I also added some Rotala and Ludwigia to the right rear of the 46 gallon. I also added an Amazon Compacta in the center and some Downoi in the front.

Both still need a good amount of time to grow in


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

Also a pic of my rimless 11 gallon

Just have some cool guppies and cherry shrimp in here


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

The 75 gallon is doing well. I've got a Powerhead coming to help disperse Co2 which should make a huge difference. The Monte Carlo is popping up regularly and the stem are growing quickly. The Amazon sword in the right rear is slow, but getting bushy. I'd like some bushy for the front center in front if the Anubia Barteri plants. Maybe Alt Reineckii??


Bump: The 46g is also progressing well. Stem growth is good and the Val's are shooting out runners everywhere. I've got some Downoi doing will in the left front and I'm trying to get a loose ground cover of Hydro Japan around the base of the Anubias Barteri. I also added the Amazon Compactus in the center.
Comments questions and criticisms are always welcome.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

This iPhone doesn't take very good pics. They always turn out yellow or washed out. Regardless the tanks have been progressing nicely. Added some star grass to the center of the 75 gallon in front of the Anubias as a foreground. It looks nice. The Amazon Sword in the rear right corner (that you can't see) is growing well and once it fills in should totally change the look of the tank. The Monte Carlo is starting to sprout up too. I'm hooking up an AC50 Powerhead to disperse the CO2 today so that will make a big difference.

The 46 gallon is doing well also. I'm not sure what else I want to add in there to fill it up, but the Downoi in front is really taking off. The fish are also loving it as the Cory's and Rosy Barbs are breeding like crazy.

Lastly the 20 gallon is also doing well and the Downoi is doing well in there.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

What do you guys think about replacing the Anubias on the left side of the 75 gallon with Alt Reineckii Cardinalis??


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

So I added a Aqua Clear 50 Powerhead to the 75 gallon and have 3 two liter bottles of DIY CO2 pumping through it. 
I also ordered a Ray 2 for my 46 gallon as well as another AC70 filter. 
I removed the Anubias on the left side of the 75g and planted Stargrass. I'm going to pick up some Alt Reineckii when I get some time. Also the Downoi in the 46 gallon is doing very well. 
Lastly I'm thinking Emperor Tetras and Dwarf Cories for the 20g. Pics to follow.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

Recent Pic of the 20 gallon. It's thriving. I've got 12 Glowlight Tetras. 5 Neons (only lost 1), 3 False Julii Cory's, and one Salt and Pepper Cory. I've got maybe 20 Red Cherry Shrimp in there. 
Plants
Stargrass
Anubias Bartari
Alternanthera Reineckii
Anubias Azfelli
Amazon Compacta
Hydrocotyle Japan carpet
Crypt Wendtii
Rotala
Java Fern
Also running 2 Penguin 200's.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

The 46 gallon is also doing well. I've got the Dantum Angel, Lyretail Molly
4 Bronze Cory's and one albino Cory. Also 5 oto's, 4 huge Amano Shrimp, albino BN Pleco, 5 Rosy Barbs and maybe 100 Red Cherry Shrimp
Plants are
Vals
Downoi on the left
Java Fern
Bolbitus
Amazon Compacta
Anubias Barteri
Hydrocotyle Japan carpet on right side
Rotala


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

The Dude said:


> ...to the 75 gallon and have 3 two liter bottles of DIY CO2 pumping through it.


You changing out one a week or what? I had three 2Ls for a while on my 75, staggered a week apart. Recently switched to running four 3Ls, paired up, changing two every week. It's made a big difference with very little added work. Always curious how other people are are doing it.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

burr740 said:


> You changing out one a week or what? I had three 2Ls for a while on my 75, staggered a week apart. Recently switched to running four 3Ls, paired up, changing two every week. It's made a big difference with very little added work. Always curious how other people are are doing it.


I change all three every week. I use 1 tsp of yeast so I get pretty high C02 production for one week. My tank looks like a shakin up soda bottle all the time with the Powerhead blasting it across the tank.
My 75 gallon is taking a little longer. It's really not going to look right until the Amazon Sword fills up the back right corner. I'll get some pics of it up soon


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Gotcha. You should get pretty good production and consistent rate with that routine.

Are you diffusing exclusively through a powerhead? Reason I ask because there is a mod you can do to greatly increase the chop. I did it on mine and the size of the mist bubbles went down by half and drop checker turned a couple shades lighter.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

burr740 said:


> Gotcha. You should get pretty good production and consistent rate with that routine.
> 
> Are you diffusing exclusively through a powerhead? Reason I ask because there is a mod you can do to greatly increase the chop. I did it on mine and the size of the mist bubbles went down by half and drop checker turned a couple shades lighter.


Ya all of it is through a single AC 50. The water looks like seltzer water. I'm thinking of adding a second Powerhead and doing two 2 liter bottles per. What is the mod? I just have the tubes with just a chopstick in each going into the powerhead


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Yeah mine is through a Maxi-jet 1200. Ive been meaning to try a chopstick, just need to get around to finding one. I take a piece of regular cotton ball, wad it up into a little ball, and pack it tightly in the end of the line. It makes for some pretty fine bubbles before the p-head has to do it's thing.

The mod is to the propeller. Take it out, and use a pair of fingernail clippers to cut each blade, longways, right down the middle. Then spread them out, away from each other. So that looking down from the top it'll now look like a V shape. 

There's a youtube vid somewhere that shows it being done. I think Hoppy posted it, but I cant seem to find it atm.

Here's a rough illustration (paint is not my forte, lol)











The idea is it greatly increases the chopping capability. You end up with twice as many, smaller blades. Like I said earlier it really made a big difference when I did mine. Before, sprite water effect could be seen from 6-8 feet away, now you have to get right up close to notice it. Also made my drop checker go lighter so I know it improved diffusion. There is no noticeable effect on the flow rate either, although I suspect it had to drop a little.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

Tanks are doing really well. Still waiting on the Amazon Sword to fill in the right corner, but I'm pretty happy with the 75 gallon

The downoi in the 46 gallon is doing exceptionally well. I replanted some on the right in front of the Crypts.

And the 20 gallon


Bump: I completely rescaped the 11 gallon and removed all the Monte Carlo. I need something new. I need to get some Blyxa to get the 11 gallon to where I want it as well as the 46 gallon


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

most of my tanks are gone. Currently just the 75g is set up. I'm setting up the 11g this weekend as a fry tank, then once I get the Cory and Ram population I want it'll become a shrimp tank.
I'm removing the Anubias Nana from the top of the wood beach tonight and placing it lower in the scape where it belongs. It really grew like crazy right there getting 15ml of Metricide daily. Id.like.to cover half of the branches near the bottom with anubias Nana so it will be a while.
I'm going to be placing my trimming from here into an outside grow out tank in preparation for the 180 gallon later this year
Current Fauna 
4 Bolivian Rams 
1 German Blue Ram 
6 Panda / Melini Corys 
7 Congo Tetras 
10 Or so guppies (going to remove)
20 RCS
50 Ramshorn snails 
1 Assassin snail

I'm looking to add 
6 Amano Shrimp 
20 MTS
1 Male German Blue Ram 
possibly a pair of EBR if I remove two Bolivian Rams 
10- 12 melini / panda cory's


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

Changed up the scape a little and added a large chunk.of driftwood with a cave that is just perfect for a dwarf cichlid. It was immediately occupied by the largest Bolivian. I'm thinking of adding some Blyxa for the transition in the center as well as replacing the jungle Val with the corkscrew val. I also want some of the windolev (sp?) Java fern to add some contrast. Thoughts?
I'm also thinking about replacing my Catalina fixture with a Ray 2. I'm loving the LED look. In this pic.I have a 36" fugeray and a 24" fugeray on.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

I'm not loving the new scape, but It opens up.more space for the Corys and there are more caves and line of sight breaks for the Rams. Once the Alt. Reinecki grow in I think It will be alot easier On the eyes. The Rams seem to be loving it.


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## BoxxerBoyDrew (Oct 16, 2005)

Man, I hate to hear you don't have the 46 or 11 gal setup as planted tanks any more! They were GREAT!!!! I REALLY REALLY liked the previous scapes in all 3 tanks!!!! In the 46g I thought the Jungle Vals were just too heavy, for my tastes, and again in the 75g I still think they are a bit overpowering. So I think I would go with the Corkscrew Vals like you mentioned! Blyxa and the Windolev are both good ideas too. I really like the randomness of the driftwood as well! I is very natural looking! I am a hard core fishreman and I have seen many rivers and lakes when the water has been very low, so you get a good look at what the drift wood, stumps, and plants combine to look like along the banks. You have made your 75g look exactly like what I have seen many, many times! BRAVO!!!

Keep up the great work, and have fun raising you fry!
Drew


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

BoxxerBoyDrew said:


> Man, I hate to hear you don't have the 46 or 11 gal setup as planted tanks any more! They were GREAT!!!! I REALLY REALLY liked the previous scapes in all 3 tanks!!!! In the 46g I thought the Jungle Vals were just too heavy, for my tastes, and again in the 75g I still think they are a bit overpowering. So I think I would go with the Corkscrew Vals like you mentioned! Blyxa and the Windolev are both good ideas too. I really like the randomness of the driftwood as well! I is very natural looking! I am a hard core fishreman and I have seen many rivers and lakes when the water has been very low, so you get a good look at what the drift wood, stumps, and plants combine to look like along the banks. You have made your 75g look exactly like what I have seen many, many times! BRAVO!!!
> 
> Keep up the great work, and have fun raising you fry!
> Drew


Wow thanks man. I really appreciate the push to the corkscrew vals. I've never had them, but I thought there size would be more in line with the rest of the tank. The fish seem to like the placement of the wood which is the most important thing to me. I spend 3 times as much time watching the tank as I do watching my new 60" Smart TV. 
Again I really appreciate the recommendation on the plants


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

Also I will be setting up the 11 gallon again in the next couple of months. I have a somewhat local fish store that has tons of driftwood and a very nice selection of fish. I'm thinking of mixing in some needle leaf Java fern on the 75 to give some more interest to the scape. 
I've got a good idea of what I want for the 11 gallon in terms of driftwood. It will be mostly Needle leaf java fern, little Blyxa, anubias Nana petit, and Anubias azfelli. There will be some moss on the branches of the wood.


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## andrewss (Oct 17, 2012)

all the tanks look great


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## rick dale (Feb 26, 2014)

*tanks*

Really nice tanks man. And super nice driftwood. Great job.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

moved some stuff around and I'm pretty pleased. There is some nice contrast and depth despite it really needing some time to fill in. What do you guys think? I'm still going to replace the Vals with corkscrew vals


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Tank is looking very nice. Been looking thru your 75g build for a while as I am in the process of setting up a 75 myself. Hope to start a tank journal soon. Saw some really nice GBR at the LFS yesterday and made me think of this thread. Very cool looking fish for sure.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

Thanks man, I really appreciate it. I've never had alot of luck with Rams so I'm enjoying this. The Balloon and some of the other ones are pretty cool. I like the veil ones too, but they are more rare. 
I got a little better pic today when the lights went on. I'll probably keep it like this until later in the year when we go back up to TN and I can get some new driftwood


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

these two are super friendly with each other. The baby GBR on the left just tags along. It's so nice to have peace in the tanks. The Bolivian is a little pushy, but the female GBR sets him straight REAL FAST lol!


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

Updated shot of the tank
I've got a new Jager heater on the way to help keep the temp where I want it. I still need new bulbs for the Catalina fixture. 
I'm planning for a new Tank and new inhabitants for the 75 Gallon to include some really nice Angels and some sort of school of Tetra. I plan to not only breed the Angels, but also the tetras and hopefully the Cory cats as well. So I set up the 11 gallon tonight.
it's a Mr Aqua 11 gallon with an Eheim 2213 and a Fugeray fixture. I removed all but a couple of the guppies from the 75 gallon (finally) and placed them into the 11 gallon to get it cycled.
it makes a nice night light
I plan to do 2 6500 bulbs in the Catalina and one actinic. I can supplement the Catalina fixture with a 36" Fugeray if needed, but all of these tanks are low tech

Bump: I need to find some nice driftwood for the 11 gallon. I want it to branch to one side with the base covered in needle leaf Java fern and a base of anubias Nana petit. I'm going to cover some rocks with moss and spread those throughout the scape in the hopes that they serve as a haven for the tetras eggs.
I'm undecided between Bloodfin tetras or Emporer tetras... I'm thinking for this tank the emporers might add the nicest contrast and then do the bloodfins in the 55 gallon I'm setting up next month


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## Anders247 (Oct 16, 2014)

Gorgeous tank!


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

Anders247 said:


> Gorgeous tank!


Thank you very much. 
I visited a new Petsmart today on my way to Costco. I was blown away. They had a huge aquarium section with some really nice fish that I hadn't seen in my local Petsmart and the tanks were sparkling and the fish were very healthy. 
I picked up 3 more Pandas and I saw they had Bloodfin Tetras for a little over $1 a piece! I was torn between these and Emporer Tetras, but these guys looked so healthy and the price was great so I bought them all. In total I got 13 of them. They acclimated very quickly and they literally changed the dynamic in the tank. Everyone is out and thus far they are schooling pretty good. I want to add more. I'm thinking 30 would look awesome. I would have to skip the Angels for this tank though. 
That's not a terrible thing because I don't like having the same fish in multiple tanks. I'm thinking of doing the Angels in the 55 gallon. 
I wanted to get some Windolev Java Ferns, but I made some other purchases and I didn't want to surprise the wife with a big bill. I'm still hunting for a nice piece of driftwood for the 11 gallon and I'm going to get some black lava rock to cover in moss. I put some Java Fern and some Bolbitus in the 11 gallon so there is at least something in there. I also attached some moss to some SS mesh and put it in there. 
I removed almost all the guppies from the 75 gallon (finally), but I have been unable to catch the last two. I'm going to give the Pandas and Bloodfins a few days to settle and then I'll try again. I had no luck finding 54w T5 bulbs. Last time I ordered them every single one was broken on arrival. I need new bulbs badly. The ones in the fixture are close to 3 years old...


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

Someone has been munching on the Downoi. I suspect the Congo's have acquired a taste for it. It's too bad... I really liked it in there. I removed all of it and planted it in the 11 gallon. I hope to get some lava rock to cover in moss to put in both tanks soon and also some driftwood for the 11 gallon. 
I'm doing 16ml of Excel in the 75 gallon daily and 2ml in the 11 gallon


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

It appears the Congo's have a taste for Crypt Wendtii as well. They decimated what was becoming a really nice front corner area. They were planted on the right corner in front of thr Amazon Swords. I'm trying to decide if.I want to try Blyxa or cover some lava rocks with moss and male another shrimp haven. I'm thinking I'd like to use something other than Java Moss though. 
This far the Congo's haven't touched the Java ferns, moss, Anubias Nana or Azfelli, swords, vals, and AR. I've also got some Crypt pontederiifolia in the back that they have ignored.
Any thought as to replace what was in the front right corner? Tank is low tech remember


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

I tried to darken the pic to get rid of the glare, but photo bucket will only upload the original. I actually like the tank like this and it seems the tetras and Corys do as well. They routinely group in the area now cleared by the removal of the Crypt Wendtii


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

During my water change 3 Bloodfin tetras swam into the python and died. I had hoped that more would come in today, but that was not the case. Hopefully I can go in a couple weeks and get more when I get back into town. 
I got some lava rock from the hardware store (A bag for $3 vs paying $15 for 2 fist sized stones at the Petsmart). It's dark red so I covered as best I could with moss and some hydrocotyle Japan. There is some Java Fern and Bolbitus held in the rocks. I'm going to give it a week or so before I post any pics though... it isn't looking too sharp yet. 
I've get moss covered rocks in the 75 gallon that look amazing. The moss and Anubias really grab hold of the lava rock quickly and look really nice. I'm not sure Java Moss is the nicest, but it's what I have at the moment. The guppies are doing well. I haven't decided what small tetra I will place in there to breed once it's fully cycled. Perhaps Emporer as I will have a nice stock of Bloodfin Tetras in the 75 gallon and I don't want the same fish in multiple tanks.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

Got new bulbs in the Catalina fixture. Since I have a Ray 2, I went wit a 6700, 10000, and an actinic. I love the actinic for night viewing. Not a ton of growth due to the lack of lighting growth hasn't been great, but the tank looks good

Bump: I'm going to add 10-15 Bloodfin tetras tomorrow and I'm going to add a couple Angels


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

So what is your stocking list going to be post tomorrow?


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

Freemananana said:


> So what is your stocking list going to be post tomorrow?


It will be 
2 GBR
1 EBR
5 Panda Corys 
3 Melini Corys 
20-25 Bloodfins 
7 Congo tetras 
Assassin snail
Ramshorn snails
hundreds of Red Cherry Shrimp

I will likely order the Angelfish since I want a Dantum and a Platinum Veil 
I may also be trading in the Corys for Zebra Loaches


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

So I went today and bought all the Bloodfins they had. I counted 12 one time and 13 another, but I was charged for 10. Either way the school is up to 20+ and it's awesome. They are super active and they make the Congo's much more bold. As I was looking around I saw the most gorgeous Zebra Veil Angel. It was in a tank with other Veils and it put them all to shame. He's probably dime size but top to bottom he has to be 3" or better. Really stunning and healthy. He mostly hung out among the Swords and driftwood pilings on the right side today, but he seemed good. I watched the tank for hours and I never once saw anyone pay attention to him. I was finally able to see the other female German Blue Ram today when she came out to eat. I haven't been able to find her in 2 days. She seems super he thy and plump, but she has become reclusive. She's almost as big as the EBR male, but he still chases her. The other German Blue Ram female pays no attention to her. I considered looking for a male for her, but I'm extremely happy with the stocking of the tank and the dynamic right now so I'm not adding any more fish... unless I trade in the Pandas for Zebra Loaches. I'm thinking of upping the Glut dose in the next couple days. I'm at 15-17 ml a day in this tank and I'm thinking 20 ml would be fine and maybe help wit h some of the hair algae growing on the driftwood closest to the lights. 
I'm figuring out the lighting again. I'm running the 6700 and the 10K bulbs along with a 36 Ray 2 during the day. I do about 7 hours and then I switch to the single actinic for night viewing. I know the tank would benefit from C02 at this level, but it's just not for me. I can have the excel delivered to my door and no worries about gasing my fish with an end of tank dump (happened before). Any one see an issue with 20ml of glut daily? The Vals have no problem with it and they are popping up all over the tank now


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

A pic of the Congo's playing with the bloodfins

Bump: My new Angel is settling in and has moved to the front of the tank so I took the opportunity to snap a pic. He looks to me like he may grow to be a super veil, but we'll see


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

Aw, the congos are eating your plants? That's no good. The angel looks great by the way.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

Freemananana said:


> Aw, the congos are eating your plants? That's no good. The angel looks great by the way.


They were eating the Downoi and Crypt Wendtii. I moved that to my 11 gallon and it's doing very well. Thank you


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

the 11 gallon is coming along. I like the contrast with the red lava rock. I'm wanting the whole area on the left to fill out woth Java Moss, Java Fern, and Hydrocolyte. Then the Downoi will serve as a nice scape area then the more wild growth of the crypts. I'm putting the guppies into my nieces turtle tank tomorrow as this is going to be shrimp only.
I'm getting happy with how these two are doing so it's time to move on. I've always wanted an African tank with the foam rocks and caves so I'm researching that. I'm keeping my eye open for a 75 gallon setup on Craigslist. It may be a few more weeks. Spent $600 on watches on my cruise 3 weeks ago and doing another for $1000 at the end of the month. Too many hobbies...


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

Rehomed the guppies finally so I'm hoping the shrimp population really takes off now. I'm considering doing some Tiger or CRS in this tank as well as the Cherry Shrimp.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

the AR was getting very bushy and overgrown so I spread it out. Im going to let these grow a bit and I'll have a couple nice plant packages with large amounts of AR and Downoi as well as some other nice stuff for a couple people. AR and Downoi are not the kind of plants you toss when it's time to thin them out


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

The Dude said:


> the AR was getting very bushy and overgrown so I spread it out. Im going to let these grow a bit and I'll have a couple nice plant packages with large amounts of AR and Downoi as well as some other nice stuff for a couple people. _*AR and Downoi are not the kind of plants you toss when it's time to thin them out*_


Definitely!
hint hint, lol


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

finished my last coat on the background last night. I'm going to let it sit for a week or so and then I'm going to put it in thr tank and get things going. I'm going to stuff some moss and Anubias in there as well. I also made a smaller foam rock stack. I don't think I'll use it though. I'm hopefully going Tues or Wed to check out the local landscape place for rock. I'd like lace rock, but some granite would also look nice.
I'm thinking 
6 Altolamprologus Calvus 
6 Julidichromis dickfeldi 
6 Neolamprologus multifasciatus


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

tank is doing awesome. It's reached the point where all I have to do is clean a filter every other week and do my weekly water changes and the tank and it's inhabitants are thriving. The Rams have laid eggs three times, but none of them has been successful yet. I believe I saw the Congo's breeding the other day so we'll see where that leads. I took one of the AC70 filters off to put on my new african cichlid tank. At first the water seemed to cloud up, but now it's cleared up nicely. I think the AC70 and XP3 are adequate for filtration. I'm really happy with it.


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## MPdesign (May 17, 2015)

Nice one ! keep the good works

Bump: Nice one ! keep the good works


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

laid a HUGE clutch of eggs tonight. The male is defending the area pretty viciously
Id love for a couple to make it but I'm not holding my breath

Bump: 
as you can see I had to take some Java Fern and Anubias Nana from this tank to get going in my Tanganyikan tanks. It will need a little time to fill back in.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

both Rams are vigorously defending the eggs, but it's two small Rams against 20 Bloodfin Tetras and 7 Congo Tetras...


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

Unfortunately I haven't seen the other female German Blue Ram in a couple weeks. She looked healthy last time I saw her and she has always been somewhat reclusive. I hope she is still in there. I'm toying with the idea of getting a male for her, but I'm so hesitant to ruin the cohesiveness of the tank inhabitants. I'm really happy with this tank and I spend well over an hour a day watching it
I would absolutely love for a few fry to make it. Unfortunately the water in my other two tanks is completely unacceptable for Rams.

Bump: I think I will leave the actinic bulb on tonight. It's worth a shot. I don't have a small LED or something that I could put over just that area. I will look into something like that in the future


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

The eggs made it two nights. The second day I noticed the male venturing farther and farther and a couple times some Bloodfins got in there and had a couple bites. From what I've read raising the fry would not be possible for me and I've got enough tanks going. Ive got to clean a filter and do a water change tonight on both 75 gallon tanks. I also liberated a large mass of Java fern from the center of this tank for my African tank. The Congos are really enjoying the new swimming space and I like being able to see more of that driftwood in the center so it's a win all around. On days that I don't go to the gym I spend 90 minutes on the treadmill staring into the tank. I'm getting.pretty good at figuring out what needs to be changed and where I can borrow plants from. Check out the new pics of the African tank in my other log. I will likely order fish on Monday and have them overnighted.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

As I've been stealing plants from this tank for my 75 Tang tank I've decided I want to change it up a little. Just some new plants really. I like variety and I would love to have a little Buce showcase area. I went by Petco today hoping to find some Hygrophila pinnatifida that wasn't dead or maybe some Bolbitus. The had some really nice looking pieces of wood and roots with plants attached to them. They had Bolbitus, but not the truly aquatic one.. I've made that mistake before and I keep that plant as a somber reminder. It's alive, but it's been years and it still looks terrible. 
I really liked the Anubias attached to pretty nice pieces of driftwood. I naturally picked the largest healthiest plant, but I was surprised by how large and nice the driftwood is
I believe it's Nana. That's Nana petit next to it

Bump: 
I will likely go back and look for another large anubias. I'll take it off of the driftwood to go in the Tang tank, but it never hurts to have a couple extra pieces of driftwood


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

I lost 3 Bloodfins and 2 Panda Corys in the last 3 weeks. The bloodfins were very large. I'm thinking just old age for them. My tank is heavily filtered, 50% weekly water changes, heavily planted etc. Both Corys had some sort of fungus that they developed the day after the water change. They may have had it longer, but when I saw them they were way too far gone. I'm going to try to catch the remaining cory (I have no idea as to number) and take them back to the store. Clearly 80* isn't making them happy. The Rams and Congo Tetras are doing awesome and I see breeding behavior every morning. I'm going to get 4 Zebra loaches and maybe some Amanos for bottom feeding and clean up. I'm going to add 10 more Bloodfin Tetras and 4 Zebra loaches and maybe 5 Amano shrimp, but I've got to find a local place or one within the $20 overnight shipping zone simply for the loaches. 
I also added some Hygrophila pinnatifida and it has caught very quickly and seems to have put on about an inch in the week or so that I've had it. I'm very pleased with that. I added some on the left side behind the Anubias Nana hoping it would crawl up the driftwood and also some into the java fern mass on the driftwood that reaches toward the surface on the right side. Those ferns are already developing a nice red color. I'll get a pic up in a few


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## P51Mustang (Apr 3, 2015)

WOW, your tanks are beautiful!


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

Two huge anubias Nana petite mother plants that I need to rehome.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

The time has come and this tank is being shut down tomorrow. It may come back into use eventually as a Malawi tank. I got bit hard by the cichlid bug. I've got this 75 going

And I'm in thr process of setting up this 125 gallon..


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Cichlid's are some pretty fish but for now I like my plants more 
That 125 gallon setup looks killer! Best of luck on the new direction and as always, post pics!


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