# 110 up and running, thoughts?



## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

hey guys,

my 110 has been up for about a week and its almost doe cycling, take a look now that the water has all cleared up!


----------



## annyann (Aug 31, 2013)

I think it looks great! What fish do you plan to stock it with?


----------



## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

annyann said:


> I think it looks great! What fish do you plan to stock it with?


50-80 harlequin rasbora
10+/- pigmy coreys
RCD/CRCS
ammano shrimp
1 powder blue dwarf gourami
5 neon dwarf rainbows
20+ Ottos

im keeping a very small scale, so i want to keep only small fish.


----------



## j-pond (Dec 18, 2008)

Looks amazing, great job.


----------



## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Man I really like that scape.

Is that a T5HO fixture, what type of bulbs are you running? Im set to replace the 2 bulbs on my 75g and having somewhat a dilemma over what combo to try. I really like the way yours look.


----------



## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

I can see a small amount of Fissidens placed at that dark spot two thirds of the way up that main rock in the crevas waiving in the current.


----------



## jrman83 (Nov 22, 2010)

Looks pretty damn good for only one week in!

I like Fissidens, but once you get it in your tank you will have a hard time ever getting it out. Doesn't matter where it starts.


----------



## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

burr740 said:


> Man I really like that scape.
> 
> Is that a T5HO fixture, what type of bulbs are you running? Im set to replace the 2 bulbs on my 75g and having somewhat a dilemma over what combo to try. I really like the way yours look.



My light fixture is a SunBlaze T5HO Hydroponics grow out light. 48" quad T5HO 6500K. the box says it puts out 20,000 lumens. to the substrate i get 70+/- par.

Sun Blaze makes also makes a 48" 2 bulb fixture that might work well for your 75.




Raymond S. said:


> I can see a small amount of Fissidens placed at that dark spot two thirds of the way up that main rock in the crevices waiving in the current.



Nope, no Fissidens, im not sure what you are referring to.


----------



## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Sean W. said:


> My light fixture is a SunBlaze T5HO Hydroponics grow out light. 48" quad T5HO 6500K. the box says it puts out 20,000 lumens. to the substrate i get 70+/- par.
> 
> Sun Blaze makes also makes a 48" 2 bulb fixture that might work well for your 75.


 Thanks. I have a 2 bulb hydroponic T5HO fixture that also came with 6500K bulbs. I dont like the color though, too much yellow/green, nothing at all like yours. I know not all bulbs are created equal though, one 6500K may not look exactly like another. Anyway, think Im gonna try a rosy bulb of some sort w/one of the 6500K and go from there, not sure yet really.

Thanks for the reply. Good luck, and keep the pics coming


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

Looks sharp!

Well done. :icon_smil


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

You may have problems after a couple of trimmings with the plants being way too thick. You should have kept the planting of the stems only in the background and not bleed into the foreground.


----------



## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

What's the plant list on this bad boy?

I quite like the way the scape looks.


----------



## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Looking good Sean! Keep us updated


----------



## annyann (Aug 31, 2013)

Sean W. said:


> 50-80 harlequin rasbora
> 10+/- pigmy coreys
> RCD/CRCS
> ammano shrimp
> ...


I think the fish you are going to put in will look awesome, I like the idea of keeping smaller fish in a large tank. It should make the tank look even larger and full of live.


----------



## Dr Fishbait (Mar 16, 2013)

Here's my thought (2 cents). Go with fewer harlequin rasboras, up the neons rainbows (12-15) and add some cherry rasboras (10-12). I have those fish in my 75 ( not that many) and it is a nice blend of color. Be aware that my harlequins and neons often school together.


----------



## Dr Fishbait (Mar 16, 2013)

Meant to say cherry barbs!


----------



## Bananableps (Nov 6, 2013)

Love love love pygmy cories! Definitely stick to 10+. They're more likely to school if you keep them in larger numbers, and they are just so cute when they do.


----------



## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

7 day update!


----------



## anastasisariel (Oct 4, 2009)

Looks good, wish I could find rock like that near me for a decent price.


----------



## houbanna (Nov 29, 2013)

I have 11 rasboras and they poop like crazy. I can't imagine 50


----------



## FriskyBetta (Mar 16, 2014)

I'm jealous.  Great Work!


----------



## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

houbanna said:


> I have 11 rasboras and they poop like crazy. I can't imagine 50


cut back on feeding, what goes i comes out. put less in, less will come out.


----------



## Deano85 (Nov 14, 2011)

Double the pygmy cories.


----------



## synaethetic (Oct 4, 2011)

Great looking tank, nice scape.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Culprit (Nov 6, 2012)

Nice ! Good luck the rest of the way !


----------



## Mastertech (Mar 18, 2014)

Cool plant and rock selection. Can't wait to really start a tank journal. I enjoy checking in on these.


----------



## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

switched the carpet plant from dwarf hairgrass to S. Repens. Also, its a little more filled in now, getting ready to do my first trim!


----------



## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

Nope, no Fissidens, im not sure what you are referring to.[/QUOTE]

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myPlants.php?do=view&p=177&n=fissidens_fontanus_fissidens_fontanus
In the pictures I think the center one is the best one.


----------



## bigblueallday (Mar 18, 2014)

Looks awesome man. Wish I had a more creative mind to help with my scaping ! 

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk


----------



## jfishy (Apr 15, 2012)

Hey looks good  you were the guy that got tons of rotala from Jacobs aquarium on youtube right?


----------



## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

jfishy said:


> Hey looks good  you were the guy that got tons of rotala from Jacobs aquarium on youtube right?


yessir! thats me!


----------



## matt11390 (Apr 16, 2007)

That's a great looking set up. Love your vision of it. Question I have for you is when you begin trimming those stem plants, how will you maintain the neat clean look as it is currently? In the past this has been my problem. My scapes always look their best to me in the beginning. Over time as I trim they begin spreading and getting thicker. Your advice would be helpful to me. Great job.


----------



## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

matt11390 said:


> That's a great looking set up. Love your vision of it. Question I have for you is when you begin trimming those stem plants, how will you maintain the neat clean look as it is currently? In the past this has been my problem. My scapes always look their best to me in the beginning. Over time as I trim they begin spreading and getting thicker. Your advice would be helpful to me. Great job.












Just keep trimming, just keep trimming, what do you do you trim, trim


but seriously, with a high tech tank with an unlimited supply of nutrients ( ferts or dirt ) and Co2, things are going to grow about as fast as they possibly can, and unless you plan ahead and take into account what a plant will look like and how big it gets as a mature specimen, you are going to be doing a lot of trimming, cant fight nature man!


----------



## MiamiArt (Aug 27, 2010)

Hey Sean,

I really like the layout you chose. It's great that you seem to have followed the rule of thirds in placing the main elements. I also like the choice of stone and stems for the back. Very well done! Congrats!

I would suggest that you get some linear perspective in there with a more pronounced mid ground. Right now, to me, it seems to go from foreground right to background with only the stones to transition. That creates a bit of a jarring feeling that is too separate and a bit unnatural.

Keep working on it. It looks great.


----------



## jfynyson (Apr 15, 2013)

I just watched your 3 part video journal on youtube for the MTS processing you did for this tank. However, I cannot find any details past part 3 where you were drying it out after 2 days of soaking.

Do you have further detail on that process, other videos, pics, etc... ?

Also does the MTS need to be removed and replaced about every 2-3yrs on avg ? 

Thanks and it's looking good thus far (saw the s. repens trim).


----------



## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

jfynyson said:


> I just watched your 3 part video journal on youtube for the MTS processing you did for this tank. However, I cannot find any details past part 3 where you were drying it out after 2 days of soaking.
> 
> Do you have further detail on that process, other videos, pics, etc... ?
> 
> ...




this is the last video i took for the MTS journal, not sure if you watched this one.






But as far as the process of mineralizing top soil, its pretty straight forward. soak it for a day, lay it out in the sun until its completely dry, then repeat. The only other thing i did off camera to the soil was i went to the 99cent store and bought the finest sieve they had and give it another really thorough sifting to remove any more twigs and undesirable particles.

Ive read people say that a MTS substrate will last 15 years.


----------



## jfynyson (Apr 15, 2013)

Gotcha but how long did you repeat the soak then dry steps? 2x, 10x, 15x,etc...? 

Thanks!

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk


----------



## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

3 times, I was going to do it a 4th time but a storm blew in and I didn't want to wait for it to pass.


----------



## Krispyplants (Apr 15, 2014)

matt11390 said:


> That's a great looking set up. Love your vision of it. Question I have for you is when you begin trimming those stem plants, how will you maintain the neat clean look as it is currently? In the past this has been my problem. My scapes always look their best to me in the beginning. Over time as I trim they begin spreading and getting thicker. Your advice would be helpful to me. Great job.


 
Actually I disagree with Sean W. If you trim and the stems keep multiplying and spreading wider then trimming the same stem is not the answer. If you don't have enough space for the plant to spread sideways and want to have like a few strait and tall stems, then you should wait for the stems to get tall. Trim the stems that you want to replant and "pluck" out the mother stem with it's root. This is how you can maintain fast growing plants if you don't have the space for the plant to spread anymore. This method will also let you plant more plants in a small area.
:thumbsup:


----------



## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

Krispyplants said:


> Actually I disagree with Sean W. If you trim and the stems keep multiplying and spreading wider then trimming the same stem is not the answer. If you don't have enough space for the plant to spread sideways and want to have like a few strait and tall stems, then you should wait for the stems to get tall. Trim the stems that you want to replant and "pluck" out the mother stem with it's root. This is how you can maintain fast growing plants if you don't have the space for the plant to spread anymore. This method will also let you plant more plants in a small area.
> :thumbsup:



im not sure what youre disagreeing with?


----------



## Krispyplants (Apr 15, 2014)

Sean W. said:


> im not sure what youre disagreeing with?


 
You said trim trim trim.... he asked how to keep plants from getting way too bushy...


----------



## jfynyson (Apr 15, 2013)

Sean W. said:


> 3 times, I was going to do it a 4th time but a storm blew in and I didn't want to wait for it to pass.


Sweet...I'm almost there please bare with my questions (don't mean to piece meal it just forgot to be clear on my questioning before)...is there a test to know if it would've needed a 4th soak/dry step or if 2x would've sufficed or if 12 reps is needed ? In other words what's the MTS success criteria or is it vague and just a guess ?

Thanks again !


----------



## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

its mostly on the smell, texture, color and viscosity of the dirt that tells you when its done.

Smell: it shouldnt smell like anything, if it smells earthy or has a manure smell to it, keep repeating the soak/dry process 

Texture, should be very soft, like powder

color, should be more grey than brown

viscosity, should be very light and airy


----------



## jfynyson (Apr 15, 2013)

Gotcha...Thanks again !


----------

