# Mountains of Colossa - 90 Gallon



## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

After having my 90 gallon for a year and a half, I finally decided to tear down and start a new scape. When I originally set up my old tank, I didn't know how to achieve extra height and create the mountain range I wanted. I also rushed it and completed the hardscape in a day. 

This time is much different! I have spent time researching egg crate, how to achieve depth and scale, tricks like gravel filled pantyhose, and even started creating some of my own mini mountain peaks out of the seiryu stone and concrete.

I have been working on this for a little over a week now and want to start sharing my progress. Lots of work to go (and another 200$ of stone to buy >.<) but it's on it's way. The tank will be filled with all types of exotic mosses and nothing else. Thinking of doing mini pelia, fissidens, java moss, christmas moss, mini christmas moss, and some flame moss.

I chose the name "Mountains of Colossa" because my old man and I have always loved this 50's monster movie called the Seventh Voyage of Sinbad. The mountain ranges and stone structures in the movie were always fascinating to me so I wanted to try and emulate them.


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## Parahnoyd (Mar 8, 2013)

Looking awesome so far! I'm excited to see how this will turn out.


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## Doogy262 (Aug 11, 2013)

Fantastic,that must have been a ton of work.Will the section of egg crate in the middle be covered with substrate and plants/Can't wait to see and maybe copy this on a smaller scale in a 40b I am re scaping.


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

Doogy262 said:


> Fantastic,that must have been a ton of work.Will the section of egg crate in the middle be covered with substrate and plants/Can't wait to see and maybe copy this on a smaller scale in a 40b I am re scaping.


Thank you Doogy! The middle sections will be covered with rock and bags of gravel. I'm brainstorming on a way to place a powerhead inside of the largest box of eggcrate so it keeps a flowing going undeneath the mountains and reduces the stagnant plant and fish matter.


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## fusyperez (Feb 3, 2014)

Very nice 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## loach guy (Jun 2, 2014)

That's a fair penny's worth of Seiryu Stone. It will be cool to see how this turns out!


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## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

This looks like you've spent a fortune and put in a lot of time already. Mosses would be a great choice as maintenance of any other sorts of plants could take hours/week.

Subbing to see how this story unfolds! Godspeed!


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## theatermusic87 (Jun 22, 2014)

If your looking for circulation under everything you could use a small pump hooked to some PVC pipe with s manifold on the end, look up reverse under gravel filters... Though my personal vote is to fill the space with something like lava rock that way you are less likely to have your substrate settle in over time and there is no space for fish to get stuck, unless your intentionallly making a cave


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

theatermusic87 said:


> If your looking for circulation under everything you could use a small pump hooked to some PVC pipe with s manifold on the end, look up reverse under gravel filters... Though my personal vote is to fill the space with something like lava rock that way you are less likely to have your substrate settle in over time and there is no space for fish to get stuck, unless your intentionallly making a cave


Really like this idea. What if I did a combination of both lava rock and the under eggcrate/gravel pump?

Bump:


bereninga said:


> This looks like you've spent a fortune and put in a lot of time already. Mosses would be a great choice as maintenance of any other sorts of plants could take hours/week.
> 
> Subbing to see how this story unfolds! Godspeed!


Haha yes lots of money and time for sure. I have had to treat my wife to a lot of purses, shoes, sush dinners, etc. to even it all out.

Moss will definitely be my choice of plant for the tank, not just for maintenance but to make the scale of the tank look extremely large.


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

*more rocks*

Got some more rocks added last night. I'm using silicone for the larger ones and leaving some of the smaller ones loose. The smaller ones being loose will be good so that when I affix mosses to them, I can work with them easily by taking them in and out of the tank.


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

Finished up the hardscape over the weekend. Very happy with how it came out. Can't wait to start adding some mosses this week. Next up on the checklist is filter installations and my first rex grigg reactor! Then sand and water. I have 55 gallons of RO ready to pump in and the rest will be tap. I found that's the best combo for my water parameters.


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## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

This tank looks f'n epic! Please glue those rocks VERY well because an avalanche would seriously be disastrous. Also, get a ton of mosses so you won't have to scrub so much rock. Can't wait to see this!


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

bereninga said:


> This tank looks f'n epic! Please glue those rocks VERY well because an avalanche would seriously be disastrous. Also, get a ton of mosses so you won't have to scrub so much rock. Can't wait to see this!


Most definitely! These babies are siliconed tight to all of the egg crate and bag supports at the bottom. 

If I do it just right, I think I am going to be algae free on this scape and avoid rock scrubbing all together (famous last words).


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## thejoe (May 23, 2013)

I like it! btw, great movie.


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

thejoe said:


> I like it! btw, great movie.


One of my all time favorites despite the old specail effects. Hoping this tank will take me to the land beyond beyond, from the world past hope and fear! lolllll


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## Veritas (Aug 9, 2013)

wow. How many pounds of rock is that???


looks really good. congrats


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

Veritas said:


> wow. How many pounds of rock is that???
> 
> 
> looks really good. congrats


Hey man, it's about 150 lbs total.. the small mountain peaks you see I made most of them with cement and seiryu stone. An LFS gave me the idea as they were selling them for $15 a piece.


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## Acro (Jul 7, 2012)

This looks amazing!!!!!!
I've always wanted to do something like that, however I worry about cleaning. I just imagine that whole space under the rocks filling with mulm and/or going anaerobic and causing problems. 
How do your overcome this, or is it even a worry?


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

Acro said:


> This looks amazing!!!!!!
> I've always wanted to do something like that, however I worry about cleaning. I just imagine that whole space under the rocks filling with mulm and/or going anaerobic and causing problems.
> How do your overcome this, or is it even a worry?


I have a pump in the largest box of egg crate so that there is a "secret flow" going under the whole chasm  Also, all egg crate is wrapped with plastic mesh sheets from "Michaels" craft store. It's fine enough to not let dead fish or large particles fall in between and large enough to let water flow through. I was going to go with pond liner, but didn't like the idea of stagnant water sitting under the mountains.


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## Acro (Jul 7, 2012)

Mikeygmzmg said:


> I have a pump in the largest box of egg crate so that there is a "secret flow" going under the whole chasm  Also, all egg crate is wrapped with plastic mesh sheets from "Michaels" craft store. It's fine enough to not let dead fish or large particles fall in between and large enough to let water flow through. I was going to go with pond liner, but didn't like the idea of stagnant water sitting under the mountains.


Brilliant!!!! 
High fives all around!!!!


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## jemmus (Mar 22, 2016)

*Epic *is the right word for it! That does look something out of Sinbad, but without being too over the top. Looking forward to seeing it planted.


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## TaylorTurner (Mar 15, 2016)

I can't wait to see how this turns out!


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

jemmus said:


> *Epic *is the right word for it! That does look something out of Sinbad, but without being too over the top. Looking forward to seeing it planted.


Thank you Jemmus! Really appreciate it.


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## thejoe (May 23, 2013)

The cement rocks that your using, Will they not alter the ph ?


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

thejoe said:


> The cement rocks that your using, Will they not alter the ph ?


They will alter the GH and KH for sure. Lots of water changes!

I found that after a good month or so, they stop dissolving into the water so much. I had about 70 lbs. of these stones in my last scape with great success.


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## Crazy Bunny (Jul 23, 2014)

Hello Mike,

I too, want to make a high mountain on my 40 Gallons.
And your threads just bright my day up !! 
never thought about the plastic mesh sheet from Michael as I too afraid fish or whatever will dig in and get stuck.

Do you think I can do it "Without" the pump ?

Bunny


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

Crazy Bunny said:


> Hello Mike,
> 
> I too, want to make a high mountain on my 40 Gallons.
> And your threads just bright my day up !!
> ...



Hi bunny! That's awesome to hear that the setup inspired you. I can't wait to see it come to life with moss and sand and fish... 

I think you might be ok without a pump but try to find some way to keep a little flow going through the mountains or boxes that you build. 

To be honest this is my first time doing it so hopefully everything turns out ok.


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## Kwidjaya (Mar 24, 2016)

WoW....awesome idea. Keep us update.


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## Crazy Bunny (Jul 23, 2014)

Mikeygmzmg said:


> Hi bunny! That's awesome to hear that the setup inspired you. I can't wait to see it come to life with moss and sand and fish...
> 
> I think you might be ok without a pump but try to find some way to keep a little flow going through the mountains or boxes that you build.
> 
> To be honest this is my first time doing it so hopefully everything turns out ok.




Me too !! First time build and just waiting for my black egg crates to arrive and sh!t ton of zip ties ! lol.


The thing is my scape are little different then yours.
I am going to try to do a "Valley" style. Raise from the both sides and the back.
I hope the egg crates / plastic mesh sheet (GREAT IDEA FROM YOU) will work so the digger won't dig inside the egg crate.


I noticed that you making a "Box Style" stand for the rock. 
How are they holding up ? I bet when you zip ties it with other boxes next to it will steady enough right ?


It's awesome that at the same time, I've a fellow down south create the same thing.:grin2:


Best Luck to you, my friend !! :laugh2:


Bunny


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

Crazy Bunny said:


> Me too !! First time build and just waiting for my black egg crates to arrive and sh!t ton of zip ties ! lol.
> 
> 
> The thing is my scape are little different then yours.
> ...


Nice!! A valley will look great.. Yes the boxes are very sturdy once they are zip tied together. Some of them are holding mass weight and stay together fine. 

Best of luck to you as well! Glad I could help with the plastic mesh.


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

Filters are setup, sand and water added (60 gallons RO - 40 gallons tap).

Got some tiny pieces of mini pelia, java moss, marimo moss added as well. Lots more mosses on the way!


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## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

Sweet! How are you going to plant that stuff? Glue? String? Just stuff into the crevices?


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

bereninga said:


> Sweet! How are you going to plant that stuff? Glue? String? Just stuff into the crevices?


I have been tying them to flat rocks using shower nets and thread. I was originally going to stuff into crevices and super glue to hardscape but I really want to be able to take out the moss stones and trim them/remove algae as needed for easier maintenance.


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## mot (Sep 17, 2011)

If you are not planting the sand areas I would reduce the thickness down to about 1/2 to 1 inch. This will help you to keep it clean.


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

mot said:


> If you are not planting the sand areas I would reduce the thickness down to about 1/2 to 1 inch. This will help you to keep it clean.


I think you are right Mot. Was thinking about that yesterday. Also, the sense of scale will be better with less sand.


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## mot (Sep 17, 2011)

Yea keep it very low at the glass and then slope it up a bit so it looks good around the rock. It will settle a bit but it will really help give it a nice look.


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## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

mot said:


> Yea keep it very low at the glass and then slope it up a bit so it looks good around the rock. It will settle a bit but it will really help give it a nice look.


Sorry to hijack for a sec, but @mot, when are you going to write up an aquascaping tips thread?  That's a small bit of advice I've never heard before.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

Not sure I've seen a mountainscape on such a large scale before, at least not done so well. Very cool! Looking forward to seeing it planted. Any thoughts on livestock yet? (Or did I miss that somewhere in the thread?)


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

end3r.P said:


> Not sure I've seen a mountainscape on such a large scale before, at least not done so well. Very cool! Looking forward to seeing it planted. Any thoughts on livestock yet? (Or did I miss that somewhere in the thread?)


Very nice compliment, thank you end3r! I started adding mosses this week. Got some riccia in there, java, mini pelia, and marimo. once they adapt to their new setting and get good coloration I'm going to post some more pics.

For livestock, I'm thinking rasboras (about 10-15) and lots of blue diamond and amano shrimp for clean up. 

I'm pretty sure that's all I'm going to add as far as live stock goes. Let me know if you have any suggestions!


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## garrettthecow (Apr 18, 2016)

Mikeygmzmg said:


> For livestock, I'm thinking rasboras (about 10-15) and lots of blue diamond and amano shrimp for clean up.
> 
> I'm pretty sure that's all I'm going to add as far as live stock goes. Let me know if you have any suggestions!


What type of rasbora?


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

garrettthecow said:


> What type of rasbora?


Probably harlequin.. Still debating though, I want super tight schoolers so my list is a little narrow. I had neons before so don't want to do those again. Could change my mind last minute and go with rummy nose or cardinals, maybe black neons.... Tough decision.

What do you think would be a good selection for the layout???


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

Harlequins would be a good choice. Good schoolers and you don't have to worry about scale so much with a larger setup like that... a larger rasbora works fine. 

Definitely get lots of shrimp -- they will look great climbing all over the mountains, and the Amanos especially will be invaluable for algae control. 

A small group of dwarf cichlids would be neat too -- they'd hang out near the bottom and explore the nooks and crannies. Dicrossus filamentosus is a very cool one. These could be added after the rasboras and shrimp, maybe if you get bored. 

Finally, a little out of left field, but as an alternative, some of the smaller African cichlids would be awesome in this kind of rock scape. I'm thinking a huge group of small mbuna, like Pseudotropheus demasoni and even a second group of Labidochromis caeruleus. Would be gorgeous, though not schoolers, and I don't know whether the mosses you want grow in alkaline (7.8) conditions.


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

end3r.P said:


> Harlequins would be a good choice. Good schoolers and you don't have to worry about scale so much with a larger setup like that... a larger rasbora works fine.
> 
> Definitely get lots of shrimp -- they will look great climbing all over the mountains, and the Amanos especially will be invaluable for algae control.
> 
> ...


I really like those Dicrossus filamentosus. Would they pick at the moss or shrimp? I was kind of set on keeping only one species of fish in the tank, but these are tempting if they don't mess with the shrimp or plants.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

They aren't going to bother the moss and probably are too small to bother larger shrimp and they're very mild mannered, apparently. They are soft-water fish, though, so keep that in mind.


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## Mirzath (Mar 15, 2013)

Not sure but I would love to see how a group of surface fish would work in a tank like this. I am thinking hatchet fish, Clown Killi or Pseudomugil spp.


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

great arrangement moss and stuff will need at the right place though. fish choices are hard to decide but i recommend you to take a look at danio choprae. they school very tightly. i'd get some 15-20 for this tank and see later what kind of tankmates fits for them. probably some red lizard catfish would be cool


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

ikuzo said:


> great arrangement moss and stuff will need at the right place though. fish choices are hard to decide but i recommend you to take a look at danio choprae. they school very tightly. i'd get some 15-20 for this tank and see later what kind of tankmates fits for them. probably some red lizard catfish would be cool


Thank you! Most definitely taking my time on the moss placements. Each species of moss is going to be placed in areas where that particular texture, shape, growth pattern will best suit the rock structures. I have never liked danios much aside from the celestial pearl danios. Do those school too? I checked out the danio choprae you recommended and they do look rather nice. I will consider them.


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## jemmus (Mar 22, 2016)

I love African cichlids, but they can be some trouble. They need alkaline water, and the usual way to do that is to have alkaline gravel in your tank. Also, they're very aggressive against anything and everything. Usually there's one cichlid in the tank (the weakest one) who ends up stunted and unhealthy from all the bullying.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

jemmus said:


> I love African cichlids, but they can be some trouble. They need alkaline water, and the usual way to do that is to have alkaline gravel in your tank. Also, they're very aggressive against anything and everything. Usually there's one cichlid in the tank (the weakest one) who ends up stunted and unhealthy from all the bullying.




They're definitely a more difficult group to keep in general, and not a typical choice for a planted aquarium, especially if the plants are the centerpiece or focus of the tank and keeper. (Many are, after all, vegetarians!) I would only recommend them to someone willing to put in the time to research their needs and optimal conditions. But their aggression can be certainly be managed (usually a combination of high stocking and careful selection of tankmates--i.e., other species of African cichlids) and they can be very rewarding to keep. And they're the most colorful freshwater fish IMO. (Also, FYI, I kept them for years without alkaline gravel -- I think it's actually easier to maintain the optimal pH/KH/GH by dosing the replacement water rather than relying on substrate, which can be unpredictable.)

I mentioned them here only because I love them, and they might work with a moss-only setup. But there are probably other, better choices for this setup. A big school of harlequin rasboras might be my vote, along with plenty of shrimp, and maybe a group of dwarf SA cichlids down the road.


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## Veritas (Aug 9, 2013)

Mikeygmzmg said:


> Thank you! Most definitely taking my time on the moss placements. Each species of moss is going to be placed in areas where that particular texture, shape, growth pattern will best suit the rock structures. I have never liked danios much aside from the celestial pearl danios. Do those school too? I checked out the danio choprae you recommended and they do look rather nice. I will consider them.



CPDs will hang out together, but are a lot more shy than the Glowlight Danios (danio chaprae)

for your tank - I would *definitely* go with the Glowlight Danios. They are a truly beautiful fish. I plan to add another 20+ to my current school


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

Ooh, torpedo/Denison/roseline barbs (Sahyadria denisonii) would be awesome. I think you have a large enough tank to do a school. Gorgeous fish. Schoolers, but not your typical tiny fare.


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## sevendust111 (Jul 15, 2014)

I agree. If I had a tank that big, Dension barbs would be my first choice.


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

sevendust111 said:


> I agree. If I had a tank that big, Dension barbs would be my first choice.


My last tank had 4 large Dennison barbs so I think I'm going to take a little break from them. I'm looking to keep the bio-load on the lower side with one school and shrimp. I really like the harlequin rasboras!!


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

Happy Friday everyone! Hope everyone is excited for a couple days off work.

Wanted to post a quick update on the tank. I have several species of moss added now! Can't wait to see them adapt and start growing. Here are a few pics and list of what's been added. Big shoutout to @StrungOut who hooked me up with an awesome moss package. Check out his stuff, he ships very fast and the mosses/plants are in great health.

Mosses added:

~Java -yawn 
~Mini Pelia
~Marimo (the only algae I really like)
~Mini Weeping - aka Java Spring
~Weeping
~Panti Johr Malaysia 
~Vietnam
~Pilo
~Jungermannia Truncata
~Spiky
~Creeping 
~Riccia Fluitans

Lots more moss to add over the upcoming months, but this is a good start. There are about 20 rocks with moss tied down. I used shower nets for all of them with some extra thread on any of the ones with smaller bits.

Let me know what you guys think!


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## thejoe (May 23, 2013)

Great start! The look you have made is world class.


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## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

Is your tank bigger than your TV? LOL Man, that's AWESOME!


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## Iwagumist (Jan 4, 2016)

Can't wait till those mosses grow in...beautiful tank dude! 

If you are interested in harlequin rasboras, also look into the lambchop rasbora. They look the same and are just as pretty as the harlequin, they just stay a little smaller, so that you could keep a larger school without stressing the bioload. I think that the larger school with the smaller fish would really complement your scape.

Keep posting...I love your tank!


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

Iwagumist said:


> Can't wait till those mosses grow in...beautiful tank dude!
> 
> If you are interested in harlequin rasboras, also look into the lambchop rasbora. They look the same and are just as pretty as the harlequin, they just stay a little smaller, so that you could keep a larger school without stressing the bioload. I think that the larger school with the smaller fish would really complement your scape.
> 
> Keep posting...I love your tank!


Thanks a lot man, really appreciate the kind words about the tank! I will most definitely check those out, the smaller the better to keep a good sense of scale.


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## SingAlongWithTsing (Jun 11, 2015)

which LFS did you get your rocks from? or which rock yard?


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

SingAlongWithTsing said:


> which LFS did you get your rocks from? or which rock yard?


Pet Supreme in Sylmar. It's Ryu stone, but every now and then there is real seiryu. I try to grab those quick when they come in!


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

mot said:


> Yea keep it very low at the glass and then slope it up a bit so it looks good around the rock. It will settle a bit but it will really help give it a nice look.


Got the sand nice n thin at the bottom now and gradually built it up to the rocks! Thanks for the eye Mot.


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## Nazasaki (Sep 10, 2015)

+1 on the black neon suggestion! Mine school extremely tight. I had harlequin rasboras and I wasn't too impressed with them. I'm liking the aquascape. Is it silly to say that the rocks look like something out of Skyrim??


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## AquaLabAquaria (Dec 15, 2015)

Brilliant aquascaping. Hope you don't mind if we add this to our mindbases!


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

AquaLabAquaria said:


> Brilliant aquascaping. Hope you don't mind if we add this to our mindbases!


I would honored!


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## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

Black neon tetras would be pretty sweet in here.


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

Mikeygmzmg said:


> Thank you! Most definitely taking my time on the moss placements. Each species of moss is going to be placed in areas where that particular texture, shape, growth pattern will best suit the rock structures. I have never liked danios much aside from the celestial pearl danios. Do those school too? I checked out the danio choprae you recommended and they do look rather nice. I will consider them.


they shoal but very shy
however this shyness can be cured with some dither species like iriatherina werneri

have some species that cover different area in the tank


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## DennisSingh (Nov 8, 2004)

Very lovely hardscape. Grow them moss out!


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

StrungOut said:


> Very lovely hardscape. Grow them moss out!


I think they finally adapted after a week! In my experience, moving mosses is always a little testy... They get sick for a few days or stagnant, then come back to life! All of them look great except for my Riccia Fluitans. I got it mailed to me during some heavy heat and the bag was like a sauna. Hopefully it survives!


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## mot (Sep 17, 2011)

Mikeygmzmg said:


> I think they finally adapted after a week! In my experience, moving mosses is always a little testy... They get sick for a few days or stagnant, then come back to life! All of them look great except for my Riccia Fluitans. I got it mailed to me during some heavy heat and the bag was like a sauna. Hopefully it survives!


If anything can riccia would. I never even used it on my scapes and i cant get rid of it fast enough. I just pulled a large clump out yesterday and im sure ill be pulling it again in a few weeks.


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## Lonestarbandit (Feb 7, 2013)

This is too cool lol


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

Well guys... I went with black neon tetras. Couldn't be happier  they are schooling so tight it's unbelievable... I had to think about this over a month to make my decision! Got 12 total. Now time to watch them swim.

Also my buddy sold me some blue diamond shrimp, they hide mostly but have graced me with their presence a few times since I put them in. Hopefully they multiply quick so I have a nice little blue colony scaling the cliffs! Pics to come tomorrow.


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## ROYWS3 (Feb 1, 2014)

Looks really good but I don't know how your not tempted to throw a bunch of Tanganyika or west African Dwarf cichlids in there


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## DaveFish (Oct 7, 2011)

Looks awesome to me man! I just think you will need to either get tons of super glue or mesh pads that is all! haha Monte Carlo flowing down parts of certain faces may look cool. And try contrasting different areas with light plants vs dark plants. Put light plants right at the leading edge of a lot of the peaks, trace the peaks essentially, and then put darker plants down in the cracks, or light plants on the right facing slopes, and dark plants on the left facing slopes. Top to bottom lighting effect with the leading edge idea, or a light source from either the left or right with the other idea. Just to create an illusion of a light source and more depth.


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

DaveFish said:


> Looks awesome to me man! I just think you will need to either get tons of super glue or mesh pads that is all! haha Monte Carlo flowing down parts of certain faces may look cool. And try contrasting different areas with light plants vs dark plants. Put light plants right at the leading edge of a lot of the peaks, trace the peaks essentially, and then put darker plants down in the cracks, or light plants on the right facing slopes, and dark plants on the left facing slopes. Top to bottom lighting effect with the leading edge idea, or a light source from either the left or right with the other idea. Just to create an illusion of a light source and more depth.


Thank you Dave, your tank was one of the few that inspired my setup! Love that rock and sand look with mosses. I hear ya on the contrasts of light and dark mosses. Funny you said add some monte to it, I put some HC in yesterday to trickle off some of the rocks. I have been using rocks for all of the moss and netting or tying thread to affix the moss. I really want to be able to take the stones in and out of the tank for maintenance so I don't have to trim them inside the tank.


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

Here are some pics!


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

Looks great! I think you're going to have a hard time confining moss to those rocks you tied it to though... And it will probably look cooler to let the moss creep along the hardscape randomly over time. Trimming will be harder, but it's low tech right? So maybe it won't grow too fast.


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

end3r.P said:


> Looks great! I think you're going to have a hard time confining moss to those rocks you tied it to though... And it will probably look cooler to let the moss creep along the hardscape randomly over time. Trimming will be harder, but it's low tech right? So maybe it won't grow too fast.


Yeah I'm ok with them outgrowing the rocks a bit, but cleanup and maintenance will definitely be less time like this as compared to gluing or stuffing into crevices. 

I was trying to figure out low or high light this weekend... The tank has 2 48" satellite plus lights on it. Both are at the brightest setting. So far, slow growth on all mosses aside from the riccia fluitans.


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## Foxpuppet (Jan 18, 2011)

Amazing work - posting so I don't forget to come back and finish reading!


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

Mikeygmzmg said:


> Yeah I'm ok with them outgrowing the rocks a bit, but cleanup and maintenance will definitely be less time like this as compared to gluing or stuffing into crevices.
> 
> I was trying to figure out low or high light this weekend... The tank has 2 48" satellite plus lights on it. Both are at the brightest setting. So far, slow growth on all mosses aside from the riccia fluitans.


Satellite +, not Pro? Without looking up PAR charts, I'd guess that's medium light at the level of your mosses, especially if you aren't having algae issues and the moss growth is slow. No CO2 right?

BTW -- the floating shelves/islands are a cool touch.


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

end3r.P said:


> Satellite +, not Pro? Without looking up PAR charts, I'd guess that's medium light at the level of your mosses, especially if you aren't having algae issues and the moss growth is slow. No CO2 right?
> 
> BTW -- the floating shelves/islands are a cool touch.


Yeah just the PLus models. No algae so far (knock on wood) but I am running Co2 at high levels. The moss really started to take off over the last week and is growing nicely. Love the look of the weeping moss and vietnam moss.


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## Veritas (Aug 9, 2013)

How did you create the "islands"? Looking great!


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

Veritas said:


> How did you create the "islands"? Looking great!


There are egg crate beams about 4 inches wide by 1 foot long that sit on top of the tank. Fishing line is attached to them and the lines are anchored to the 2 rocks. : )


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## psych (Jan 7, 2013)

I've been actively following this thread since its inception and thought the outcome was lovely. 

It's been a little under a month since the last pictures were posted. I would love an update. 

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## DennisSingh (Nov 8, 2004)

If you had a grip of vietnam moss and covered every rock in the stuff I think the design/scape would be perfect. "Not so much" with a bunch of different mosses.


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

psych said:


> I've been actively following this thread since its inception and thought the outcome was lovely.
> 
> It's been a little under a month since the last pictures were posted. I would love an update.
> 
> Sent from my XT1095 using Tapatalk


I will do an update this weekend  The moss has grown out a lot and the mountains are much greener..


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## gaga43 (Oct 14, 2010)

This looks fantastic can't wait for an update!!!


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## Lonestarbandit (Feb 7, 2013)

Me too

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## Izzy- (Jun 11, 2014)

Holy smokes, that's awesome!


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## scubabob (Jun 2, 2016)

looks awesome! anticipating the update!!!


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## SwampGremlin (Dec 5, 2014)

Really cool idea nice looking mountain.


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

Finally got to take some pictures last night.. I added some sunset crypts and s. repens to the mix  My lights are dimmed pretty low so the moss is definitely moving slow, but no signs of algae as of yet (fingers crossed). There are a total of 50 Amanos, 5 Ottos, and 12 Black Neons in the tank. 

Hope you enjoy!


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## ScubaSteve (Jun 30, 2012)

This is so bada**...I love it!


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

ScubaSteve said:


> This is so bada**...I love it!


Thanks Scubasteve!!


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## psych (Jan 7, 2013)

This is really coming together nicely and I can't wait to see how it progresses. 

What's your maintenance routine like on this so far? Trimming? Re planting or has it pretty much been set it and forget it. 

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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

psych said:


> This is really coming together nicely and I can't wait to see how it progresses.
> 
> What's your maintenance routine like on this so far? Trimming? Re planting or has it pretty much been set it and forget it.
> 
> Sent from my XT1095 using Tapatalk


Thanks man, really appreciate it.

I have been doing all RO water - 50% changes every week. My pops works for Culligan water so we got an awesome RO setup. Trimming has been super minimal, I want this moss to grow out nice n plush so I haven't had to trim much. When it does come time to do a trim, it will be easy because I have the moss affixed to rocks with shower nets. All I'll need to do is remove the rocks from the tank, trim, rinse, and place them back in.


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## Axelrodi202 (Jul 29, 2008)

Beautiful rock work. Definitely gives me inspiration for a future African cichlid tank though. You mention the rocks can be removed - how stable are they?

The crypts may get too large for your foreground though. 'Florida sunset' is one of the larger C. wendtii cultivars.


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

Axelrodi202 said:


> Beautiful rock work. Definitely gives me inspiration for a future African cichlid tank though. You mention the rocks can be removed - how stable are they?
> 
> The crypts may get too large for your foreground though. 'Florida sunset' is one of the larger C. wendtii cultivars.


Thanks! Only the rocks with moss can be removed, they are loose. The rest of the main rocks are siliconed in place.

I had the same cultured Florida sunsets in my old scape and after a year they grew around 2 cm. or so.. If they start taking away from the scale, I will RAOK them ; )


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## mot (Sep 17, 2011)

Mikeygmzmg said:


> Thanks man, really appreciate it.
> 
> I have been doing all RO water - 50% changes every week. My pops works for Culligan water so we got an awesome RO setup. Trimming has been super minimal, I want this moss to grow out nice n plush so I haven't had to trim much. When it does come time to do a trim, it will be easy because I have the moss affixed to rocks with shower nets. All I'll need to do is remove the rocks from the tank, trim, rinse, and place them back in.


The way you set this up i would say you dont need to remove them. Trim in place then just siphon up the moss off the sand into a bucket,net it and sell it. Any moss trimmings in the rock area will just help fill it in so it gets nice and lush.


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

mot said:


> The way you set this up i would say you dont need to remove them. Trim in place then just siphon up the moss off the sand into a bucket,net it and sell it. Any moss trimmings in the rock area will just help fill it in so it gets nice and lush.


I hear ya Mot.. I do agree that it would make it look more lush and help aesthetics when bits of the moss find new homes in crevices and cracks, but there are 2 reasons I think I may want to stick with the trims outside the tank:

1) there is a large open cavity of free space beneath the rocks. I do have a pump running that keeps water circulating in the cavity, but I'm afraid that bits of moss could potentially rot over time if they get stuck in egg crate and don't have light under there. Maybe I'm wrong here and they can survive without the light? Let me know what you think.

2) I want to avoid the filter sucking up bits of moss where possible. I'm a little lazy when it comes to filter cleanings and usually get around to it 2-3 times a year when I should really be doing them once every couple months. This point I can definitely work around, so mostly the first one is what's holding me back from the in-tank trims.


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## FrankB (Jan 29, 2016)

That looks amazing! Maybe move the crypts between some rocks in the sand instead of just being out in the middle of nowhere? That would be my only suggestion! Awesome.

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## SwampGremlin (Dec 5, 2014)

Awesome Man looks real nice almost reminds me of where Luke skywalker was standing at the end of the movie lol
Where is all that stone from?


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

SwampGremlin said:


> Awesome Man looks real nice almost reminds me of where Luke skywalker was standing at the end of the movie lol


My favorite comment so far!! hahaha I'm a huge star wars fan. I actually played some of the star wars movie as I was setting this up. Avatar too, Lord of the rings, and some good old fashioned Futurama.


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## SwampGremlin (Dec 5, 2014)

Mikeygmzmg said:


> My favorite comment so far!! hahaha I'm a huge star wars fan. I actually played some of the star wars movie as I was setting this up. Avatar too, Lord of the rings, and some good old fashioned Futurama.


well before i got into planted tank this is what i was making
Might be of some intrest if your a starwars fan i ended up selling it tho it was way to big wife made me get rid of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R7ufx_qxn0


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## Kubla (Jan 5, 2014)

Mikeygmzmg said:


> 1) there is a large open cavity of free space beneath the rocks. I do have a pump running that keeps water circulating in the cavity, but I'm afraid that bits of moss could potentially rot over time if they get stuck in egg crate and don't have light under there. Maybe I'm wrong here and they can survive without the light? Let me know what you think.



First off I have to say that's an incredible tank. I've been following the thread in awe and have showed pics to several people.

I'm certainly not a moss expert but have had some experience with moss in the dark. I have a 3000 gal pond with a large above ground filter. The filter is open and I grow lots of plants in the top. I put a container in the top with some moss that ended up "escaping". Some time later I was cleaning my vortex separator. It's basically a large conical bottom plastic drum sunk in the ground. I don't think it ever gets any direct light to the bottom. I was scooping residue out and after several scoops of rotting leaves and gunk I came up with one that looked different. After rinsing I had about a basketball of mixed moss! I believe it was buried in the gunk and got very little light.


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## Tyrone (Nov 22, 2013)

Mikey! Scape looks horrible bro, tear it down and start all over again! 


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

SwampGremlin said:


> well before i got into planted tank this is what i was making
> Might be of some intrest if your a starwars fan i ended up selling it tho it was way to big wife made me get rid of it.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R7ufx_qxn0


Dude this is massive, very cool. I bet this was a lot of time and money hehe. How big is it?

Bump:


Tyrone said:


> Mikey! Scape looks horrible bro, tear it down and start all over again!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Hahah oh man... I may need some help with the tear down.


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## Tyrone (Nov 22, 2013)

Mikeygmzmg said:


> Hahah oh man... I may need some help with the tear down.



Hahaha I'm just playin' bro. It's dope! It's coming along really well. I keep staring at it closely trying to figure out which moss are the ones I gave you, but I'm sure you spread it around, that's a huge scape! 

There's no livestock in there yet, right?



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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

Tyrone said:


> Hahaha I'm just playin' bro. It's dope! It's coming along really well. I keep staring at it closely trying to figure out which moss are the ones I gave you, but I'm sure you spread it around, that's a huge scape!
> 
> There's no livestock in there yet, right?
> 
> ...


Haha thanks man! The moss you hooked me up with is the largest 2 pieces on the top right middle section of the mountain range.

There are 12 neons, 50 amanos, and 5 ottos. I want to get another 50 amanos lol.


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## Tyrone (Nov 22, 2013)

Mikeygmzmg said:


> Haha thanks man! The moss you hooked me up with is the largest 2 pieces on the top right middle section of the mountain range.
> 
> 
> 
> There are 12 neons, 50 amanos, and 5 ottos. I want to get another 50 amanos lol.


Cool! Instead of 50 amanos, get 50 neos. Red, yellow, blue, orange etc. Take your pick. 


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

Tyrone said:


> Cool! Instead of 50 amanos, get 50 neos. Red, yellow, blue, orange etc. Take your pick.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That sounds good too... They are so expensive though man. Maybe you know of a better place than I do?

I like the cleaning power of Amanos though for sure. They are the hardest workers you can put in a tank IMO.


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## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

Mikeygmzmg said:


> That sounds good too... They are so expensive though man. Maybe you know of a better place than I do?
> 
> I like the cleaning power of Amanos though for sure. They are the hardest workers you can put in a tank IMO.


Amanos may not be the prettiest, but definitely the best clean-up crew on the block! They seem to work 24/7.


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## Tyrone (Nov 22, 2013)

Mikeygmzmg said:


> That sounds good too... They are so expensive though man. Maybe you know of a better place than I do?
> 
> 
> 
> I like the cleaning power of Amanos though for sure. They are the hardest workers you can put in a tank IMO.




That is true but as they get bigger, which they will, they should be able to keep there home nice and clean. I've had an amano get to almost 2", maybe bigger. Plus I'm just thinking of variety so you don't get bored! Haha


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## theatermusic87 (Jun 22, 2014)

If you go with a mixed bag of neo colors, have way more fun randomly finding them in the tank, that an unlike amanos they breed like rabbits with no intervention on your part, so while they might not eat as much per shrimp as an amano, it's much easier (and cheaper) to end up with a couple hundred that will go to town, they also add a very nice little color pop


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## sfshrimp (May 24, 2016)

If he gets a skittle bag of neo shrimp he's probably going to get a bunch of clear shrimp, which might make keeping just the amanos a great choice of custodian / high paid janitors. I don't think they are ugly, they are spritely, and perfectly stealth against those rocks to cause a little case of surprise and delight when you see one. They also don't breed in freshwater from what I understand, so if he wants fish he can do that also.

What is the GH like in the tank? Very curious...that's a big clip of stone!



theatermusic87 said:


> If you go with a mixed bag of neo colors, have way more fun randomly finding them in the tank, that an unlike amanos they breed like rabbits with no intervention on your part, so while they might not eat as much per shrimp as an amano, it's much easier (and cheaper) to end up with a couple hundred that will go to town, they also add a very nice little color pop


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

sfshrimp said:


> If he gets a skittle bag of neo shrimp he's probably going to get a bunch of clear shrimp, which might make keeping just the amanos a great choice of custodian / high paid janitors. I don't think they are ugly, they are spritely, and perfectly stealth against those rocks to cause a little case of surprise and delight when you see one. They also don't breed in freshwater from what I understand, so if he wants fish he can do that also.
> 
> What is the GH like in the tank? Very curious...that's a big clip of stone!


GH is always a tad high... Around 7-9 right now. I have found that it goes down after time though. The rocks develop a thin slime/bacteria coat that makes the leaching of the dissolved solids into the water less and less. My last setup also had lots of stone (same stone too) and the GH finally stabilized after around 6 months to 5 or so.


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## Willcooper (May 31, 2015)

How's this tank looking now? Any pics?


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