# 90g SA river scape (prob 56k warning needed)



## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

so i've taken the plunge and purchased a new tank to replace the 60 g hex and the 20 g currently in the corner of the living room. thank f'n god. with all of the equipment and cords and fish tank stuff that i'm not using it's not only an eyesore but probably a fire hazard too. so i'm upgrading to a used 90 gallon and i can't be more excited. this is the tank and stand how i purchased it.



















so first things first i wanted cabinets instead of an open metal stand so i went down to home depot and got a big sheet of plywood and some other materials and slapped some doors and sides on it leaving a gap at the back of the stand for the tubes and cables etc. here is that mostly complete.










so far so good.

for the tank itself i'm not planning on anything to crazy. i will have a soil substrate with a sand cap. i want to get pool filter sand or something but i will probably end up with play sand because it's easier to get and i'm lazy. hah not really a good thing but it is what it is.

the fauna i'm planning so to put in it is...

4 keyhole cichlids
maybe 6 or so corydoras (not sure which sp. yet)
a pair of bolivian rams
a bunch of rummynose tetras prob 20-30 or so
and to round it off maybe a pair of angels. i havent decided yet if i want them there.

the flora will be...

amazon sword
rubin sword (i think)
gigantae vallisneri
red tiger lotus
anubias barteri nana
anubias frazeri
anubias lancelot
anubias congensis
crypt wendtii bronze and green

this is the scape i have planned so far laid out on some black poster board. i've outlined the tanks dimensions in white chalk. ill have the amazon swords in the back corners with the val's along the entire back wall of the tank. in the middle will be the hard scape, it will be a bunch of driftwood with rocks piled around it. in those rock i will put all of the nana, and i have a lot of it. so it should be mostly covered. the rest of the plants will be sorta scattered around the mid with the forground being the crypt wendtii. here are some pics

this is without the hardscape









this is the hardscape i've mostly decided on, the rocks might get rearranged









i'm pretty happy with it so far. more to come.

let me know if you have any suggestions or anything.


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## NWA-Planted (Aug 27, 2011)

Looks promising i love how you made a blue print on paper like that! Very neat idea

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

NWA-Planted said:


> Looks promising i love how you made a blue print on paper like that! Very neat idea
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


ha honestly i'm mostly just impatient and this was the closest thing to actually doing it up. haha. but ya it was a good thing i did it because i didn't know how i was going to do the center hard scape thing so i wanted to get a dry run on it. doing that helped though because it showed me that the top branch on it will prob be too long so i might have to cut it down.


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## RynoParsons (Nov 13, 2012)

Would work. Just remember the rule of 3rds. Dont place any thing perfectly centre.


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## gt turbo (Sep 13, 2012)

I agree with RynoParsons, do not centre your main focal point, and i find you have alot of open swimming area. I would suggest that you create some territories with other rocks especially to establish spawning sites for your keyholes and rams. Just ensure to separate them out so that no two sites are closer than let's say 12"-14" and break up the sight lines between them.

This works well in theory but my rams neglected the spawning sites i made available and chose driftwood and in one case just the substrate.


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Ya I've been thinking about putting my center peice off center, I figure if I move it a bit to the left that should line it up with a couple focal points. Most of the open space that's on my little diagram is actually going to be filled with crypt wendtii at the front and I'm still looking for something else in the mid to back areas that are open. So it won't be as stark as it looks. What do you suggest for rocks to create territories? Just make a little wall here and there? Or maybe like a nest with one side higher to block their sight?


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

so i did it, it took all day. its not totally done, i still have a lot to do, but ive got the hard part done with. made a ton of mistakes along the way, but it worked out. here's a picture dump.
here are the tanks i've torn down.









here are my tubs of plants









here is the hardscape in action, i tried to put it off center there was a lot less room than i'd imagined even with my little dry run. 









and here is the tank after all the work i'm going to do today. i'm running 2 more filters than i plan to permanently just to clear up the murkiness. should be fine soon.









you cant really see the details with that i'll update with another pic prob tomo to give a clearer picture and maybe with more plants in place. i still have to find a spot for most of the anubias add some more val's in the middle at the back


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

I added some more stuff here and there. Which does everyone like better?

Without anubias nana all over the driftwood and rock pile









Or with anubias nana all over the driftwood and rock pile


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Here are some clearer pictures.


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## Conrad283 (Dec 10, 2012)

Looks great


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## GMYukonon24s (May 3, 2009)

Beautiful plants, I like the scape.


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Thanks, the empty space at the back isn't as noticeable usually, some of the Val had broken loose and floated up. I think the fish like the scape a lot I think it's a little disorganized but it's working so far. The fish I have in it so far are my 4 small keyholes, 2 Bolivian rams, and 2 angel fish. Everything was taken from 2 old tanks I tore down to make room for this one so everything is cycled. I hope as it grows it will become more defined. But I feel like I have some good territories for everyone to be happy. Everyone's been getting along.


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

With this tank my whole design idea was to keep it all relatively low maintenance and to keep it dark ish with a lot of shade and diffused light. Pretty much all of my other tanks have been either under direct light or if there is shade its either too shady to the point of being dark or just crowded so with a bigger tank ( my biggest before was a 75) I have a bit more room to play around and plan a more comfortable environment for my fish. There totally be some really dark areas, specifically on the left by the swords, but I'm really happy with the plants I have selected. None are really going to be growing out of control where I can't simply correct easily. Not that trimming is necessarily hard.


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

so question to you folks. what plants do you guys think i should put in the forground. so far it's just some bronze wendtii and some "florida sunset" wendtii. i'm looking at medium to low light plants. i was thinking for the rest of the free space i was going to do a combo of just regular green wendtii and more bronze wendtii prob 70% green 30% bronze. i figure i dont want it to be too brown at the front but i also dont want it to be too green, does anyone have any other suggestions? specifically crypts that work as a forground/mid?

here is a pic for context. the green isn't so bright irl


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

here are some pics of a couple of the fish i have in her so far. here are my bolivian rams chilling.










and here are some of my little keyholes. man are they ever hard to get a good picture of, everytime i come up to the tank they disappear and i'm just using my phone so any pics over 5 feet away look like trash. but here you can kind of see them popping their heads out. look close though! ha


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

here is another of the bolivians, this is them about to have a sparring match


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Here are my angels


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

so... any thoughts on good crypts for the foreground? should i go with a brown motif or a green one


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Come home from work today and find this










My angels laid eggs! I doubt they will make it, this is the first time this pair has spawned, but it's super cool!


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

As expected the eggs are gone, I don't think they are ready to be tied down by kids yet. That's good for me anyways I don't have a good school of tetras in there to act as population control yet, I don't have anywhere to put a butt load of baby angels, so I'm trying to avoid it. 
As for tetras I have 13 rummy nose that have been quarantining for about a week now waiting to go in. The had a outbreak of ich so I've got the heat cranked right up. Can't see the visible signs anymore so only a couple more days of that. The rcs I have in there will be glad it's over!
Also I wasn't planning on it but I think I'm going to try and net my school of black neons from my 75 and put them in this tank. They will look great and since the rummys will stay mostly in the lower parts they will occupy the top half well. I'm going to have enough going at the bottom, need to mix it up I think. I'll post some pics once they are in.


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

So I tried to catch those black neons. Oh man, are they ever hard to catch in my 75! It's doubtful I'm going to get them now, I might try again during a water change when the water is low. Maybe I'll just stick with the rummy nose tetras that I can easily scoop out of my 10 g quarantine setup. Haha.


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Here are some fish pics just for fun

















On another note on of the rummynose that is waiting in qt always has a white/pale nose which is bad. It's eating fine, schooling properly, and very active. I don't know what to think of it. Everyone else is pretty bright and normal looking. Does anyone have any thoughts?


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## Mathman (Apr 5, 2009)

How long have they been in quarantine?
Keep in mind that all fish take awhile to acclimate and feel comfortable before show casing their true colors. Sometimes we want things to happen too fast ...but patience is the key. Your rummy nose will color nicely once in your large tank. Just give them sometime.


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Not too long, over a week, Maybe ten days. It's just that its only that one that had the pale nose. He is a little anti Rudolph . Everyone else is pretty red on the nose and I expect it to come out more in the big tank, but this one fish just doesn't colour up on his nose. It's weird. But I do plan on keeping them in that tank for a while still so I think if he's sick it should show.hopefully. I'm trying to have Patience(sp?:icon_conf)after having to deal with the consequences of inpatience before.


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## tex627 (Jan 11, 2009)

Just an opinion, but having so many large leaved plants especially in the background makes the aquascape look a tad crowded, busy, and chaotic. The fish look great though!


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Ps I ended up catching those black neons after I decided id completely rearrange my 75. They are in there now getting to know their new digs. Hopefully it's up to snuff


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

tex627 said:


> Just an opinion, but having so many large leaved plants especially in the background makes the aquascape look a tad crowded, busy, and chaotic. The fish look great though!


I know what you mean as far as looking crowded and chaotic. It kind of bugs me as well. I haven't been able to figure what to do about it. I want a heavily planted tank mostly for the fish to be comfortable but also to look good in my living room, and I want to keep it low maintenance. Hence most of the plants I've chosen. I suppose I could take the anubias lancelota out fron the right there which might clear it up a bit and spread the rest of the mid/back ground plants out. What are ppls thoughts, how else could I improve this scape? I really appreciate the feedback.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

I agree that the tank looks full but I am not sure this is a bad thing. The sword is part of the reason, but I would keep it. My suggestion has to do with the anubias on the driftwood: I would tie them on only at the base and let the branches stay naked. This is only my opinion. I think the plants tied to branches trick is overworked. Put 3 or 4 in among the rocks at the base and maybe one at a branching 1/3 of the way up and the feeling of open space above will increase.

That is a nice looking angel pair!

One other idea: you could group your lower crypts together by color. For example, keep the bronzes in one group and put some greens in another group. This will simplify the composition and reduce the chaotic look.


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## Adamson (Mar 2, 2012)

So green! I like it! Do you know if any of your fish are a pair yet?


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

tomfromstlouis said:


> I agree that the tank looks full but I am not sure this is a bad thing. The sword is part of the reason, but I would keep it. My suggestion has to do with the anubias on the driftwood: I would tie them on only at the base and let the branches stay naked. This is only my opinion. I think the plants tied to branches trick is overworked. Put 3 or 4 in among the rocks at the base and maybe one at a branching 1/3 of the way up and the feeling of open space above will increase.
> 
> That is a nice looking angel pair!
> 
> One other idea: you could group your lower crypts together by color. For example, keep the bronzes in one group and put some greens in another group. This will simplify the composition and reduce the chaotic look.


thanks for the input. thats a good idea with the anubias, i think i'm going to do that i have a few rocks in another tank i can bring over and i'll just tied the anubias to those and scatter them around the bottom probably on the left by the amazon sword. i might leave a couple sitting in the joints though, see how that looks.



Adamson said:


> So green! I like it! Do you know if any of your fish are a pair yet?


i think i've got a couple pairs, the angels laid eggs and were a strong pair in the tank they came from. no babies yet though. one of them is still pretty young. the bolivians have also laid eggs, but in my 75 g. i think there is trouble in paradise with them though the male (i think it's the male) has been really beating on the other one, she's been been hiding quite a bit. hopefully i wont have to seperate them.


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## bradlgt21 (Mar 24, 2010)

I think it looks chaotic because the background is light collored there is no contrast. If you painted the background black it would make contrast from the background and plants. I know my planted tank always looks empty because of the background so it would probably look really good on your tank. Since your tank is already filled try the tape on stuff to see how you like it. I still prefer paint as there are no imperfections present but that means taking the fish out and stuff so thats a big chore.


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

bradlgt21 said:


> I think it looks chaotic because the background is light collored there is no contrast. If you painted the background black it would make contrast from the background and plants. I know my planted tank always looks empty because of the background so it would probably look really good on your tank. Since your tank is already filled try the tape on stuff to see how you like it. I still prefer paint as there are no imperfections present but that means taking the fish out and stuff so thats a big chore.


no doubt its a big chore haha, i just put my black neons in yesterday and it took me prob an 45 minutes to catch em all and get them moved, not to mention the little keyholes which are surprisingly fast when they get spooked. no way i'd do that again soon if i can help it. i have some black poster board i've been meaning to tape on the back but it's awkward and i'm lazy, so it just has been sitting on the back burner


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## tex627 (Jan 11, 2009)

jamntoast said:


> I know what you mean as far as looking crowded and chaotic. It kind of bugs me as well. I haven't been able to figure what to do about it. I want a heavily planted tank mostly for the fish to be comfortable but also to look good in my living room, and I want to keep it low maintenance. Hence most of the plants I've chosen. I suppose I could take the anubias lancelota out fron the right there which might clear it up a bit and spread the rest of the mid/back ground plants out. What are ppls thoughts, how else could I improve this scape? I really appreciate the feedback.


Anubias nana petite, various mosses, and easy stems like R. rotundifolia can help add complexity without being so clunky and crazy!


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

I'm def thinking about my plant choices I'll prob be moving stuff around again once I get time, etc. fun fun. 

Anyway here is a pic of the black neons I moved from my 75


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## tex627 (Jan 11, 2009)

The tetras look great especially with the Angelfish. I would definitely plan out what plants you will you use before committing to any big purchases!


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Thanks, I'm probably mostly rearrange what I've got a bit first, and then I'm going to look at new plants to put in. I'm kind of stuck on crypts right now so I think once I'm ready I'm going to look into interesting species. I've been thinking about some crypt Willisi/crypt nevilli for the forground on the left side. But who knows yet.


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Added the rummy nose tetras, at first I wasn't sure it was a good idea because they were schooling up with the black neons but the two shoal have now separated, which is exactly what I wanted. It's almost perfect. If only it was bigger. *sigh* but yea whenever something surprises the fish it's like watching a litte tetra explosion in my tank. Its beautiful. Hard to photograph the rummies though. Too fast.


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## RobMc (Oct 16, 2012)

Now that's the way to start a planted tank! STOCKED with plants.

Looks great, and awesome fish choices.

So how much of a cap did you put over your sand?


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Prob not as much as I should have, haha, I used one bag of playsand on top of whatever else I could scoop out of the other 2 tanks which was sorta mixed with soil at some points. We will have to see how it works out my guess is at somepoint I'm going to be kicking myself for not using a second bag. It's about an inch to 2 inches depending on where you look.


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

How about a fresh FTS?

I hope those neons do not become angel food. Keep counting them and when the numbers start dropping....


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Glad to oblige


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Not much new to the tank really. I'm thinking of grouping the wendtii into a couple clusters on the right and filling in the open spaces, specifically on the right in front of the amazon sword. I'm a little nervous about it though because I'm worried it might get too tall for some of the smaller plants like my nana and I don't want it to grow out of control and drown out the whole intended scape. What are people's thoughts on dwarf sag in a low maintenance set up like this?


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

I always liked dwarf sag. Grows nicely but not super duper weedy for me. I hear that DHG can also be used in lower maintenance tanks.

Lowest maintenance plant EVER though has gotta be C. parva. Even in high tech, that thing does not get trimmed.....or really do much. It lives, but it just grows so slowlyyyyyyyyyy.


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

tomfromstlouis said:


> I hope those neons do not become angel food. Keep counting them and when the numbers start dropping....


And ya I'm keeping an eye on that, not so much for the black neons, but the rummies. When I first put them in the angels were quite interested, ran at them a couple times. Everyone seems pretty relaxed now. I'm keeping my eyes open though:icon_eek:


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## BoxxerBoyDrew (Oct 16, 2005)

Really NICE tank!!!

I didn't see any specs on the lighting and filter setup, can you tell us what you are running?

Keep up the GREAT WORK!!! Your fish look AWESOME, and I really like the natural look of the playsand too! 90g tanks are one of my favorites!!! The extra depth really makes the taller plants like the Vals look SHARP!!! The Sword likes the extra hight too!!! 

Subscribed!
Drew


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

HybridHerp said:


> I always liked dwarf sag. Grows nicely but not super duper weedy for me. I hear that DHG can also be used in lower maintenance tanks.
> 
> Lowest maintenance plant EVER though has gotta be C. parva. Even in high tech, that thing does not get trimmed.....or really do much. It lives, but it just grows so slowlyyyyyyyyyy.


i've had parva, and that is definately true, it is like a fake plant it's so easy. alas i'm not really too interested in parva because for the space i'm filling it's too small height wise, i'm hoping for something in the 4-5" ish range so the fish can hide in it etc. and it would be to expensive to fill a larger area up with it. all the places near me only give you a tiny little bit for like 5 bucks, i'm not down with that. if i could buy a little bit and have it carpet out i could probably find a use for it, but as is i don't need it.
dhg, maybe. i've got a little bit in my quarantine tank that REFUSES to die. seriously, i've replanted a million times. still popping up. i could grab what i can out of there and maybe another pot or 2 from the lfs and put it in the front middle-right side, but i want something taller for the left.


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

BoxxerBoyDrew said:


> Really NICE tank!!!
> 
> I didn't see any specs on the lighting and filter setup, can you tell us what you are running?


the light i have is a sun blaster 54w t5ho, which i have no complaints about. and my mom works at a gardening store so i get it on discount:thumbsup: right now i don't have a reflector or anything but i plan to add one soon.

for filtration i have a fluval 404 which will be permanent and a fluval u4 that i have in there temporarily until i'm satified that the 404 is totally able to deal with the nitrification and everything. the bio load that i had the 404 running on wasn't as high as it is now so i just want to be on the safe side. both are active and cycled filters though just to be clear. i may look into picking up another second hand cannister after i get rid of the u4 so i can keep it all nice and clean


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Little fish pic dump.
Here's two of my keyholes 








here is one of the tetras schooling up a bit








And here is a pic of the tetras at night, I've got a green led moonlight over top


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Made some small changes to the tank. I've grouped the wendtii all on the right and attached some of the nana to some rocks and placed around the larger rock pile to spread it out a little and expose the rock more. Here's pics.


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## tex627 (Jan 11, 2009)

I really enjoy seeing the Anubias nana petite, so green against the substrate and the Crypts!

Good luck!
Justin


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

This is looking really good toast (may I call you toast?).

What are your thoughts on backgrounds?

What is the big sunken thing on the left?


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

For a background I plan to just tape some black poster board to the back. I've been meaning to do this for a bit now, I've got the poster board and the tape, just lazy/busy. The black thing on the left side is an internal filter, it's just temporary. I'll propably pull it out soon.


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## BoxxerBoyDrew (Oct 16, 2005)

LOOKING VERY GOOD!!!

Very natural looking tank! Is this a 48" wide tank?

Keep it up!
Drew

p.s. Thanks for the info on your hardware!!


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

BoxxerBoyDrew said:


> LOOKING VERY GOOD!!!
> 
> Very natural looking tank! Is this a 48" wide tank?


sure is. 

I've made some changes! Here is the fts.








Here is the right side, I moved my rubin up to the fore ground to hide the base of the amazon swords a bit








and here is the left side, I moved one of the amazon swords from the right back into the corner here. It feels a little crowded but it feels a bit more natural. We'll see. I'll prob want to change it in a week.








Pls forgive my grainy and cloudy photography.


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Ps. Say hi to my cat Sophia, who is also a fish enthusiast


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

I added a black poster board background, and it actually looks a ton better I think. Here is the better new fts with the background


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## esteban (Jan 3, 2011)

Looking great! It's really come together nicely. Are all the val original, or has it started to spread? Wondering if you find that it spreads along the back (following the glass) or does it send runners out in every direction?


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## tankluvr (Jan 3, 2013)

Hey beautiful tank! Came across this thread while looking for info about sand substrates. Did you end up doing the soil/sand combo? Looks like it is working out well for you.


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## Darth Toro (Mar 6, 2010)

Great looking flora and fauna!! I really like the layout and I'm sure the fish love it. Still no cories in there though? Your tank could use a good school of some Sterbai cories perhaps. Cories are one of my favorite to keep. Maybe even try Albinos the white would contrast nice in there.


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

tankluvr said:


> Hey beautiful tank! Came across this thread while looking for info about sand substrates. Did you end up doing the soil/sand combo? Looks like it is working out well for you.


Thanks, I did end up doing soil and sand, I really love having a soil substrate when it comes to the nutrition and what not of the plants. I just throw down a couple inches or soil and cap it with sand. I could prob do it a better way like mineralized top soil but I'm lazy. 
One of the only big down sides about soil is that if you are like me, you will probably rearrange a few things semi often and it really messes up the tank. Especially with swords etc with a root system that pretty much spans the tank. It can be really infuriating. And if anyone has any tricks for keeping the mess down I'd love to hear em. I'm actually planning on changing a few things up right away.


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Darth Toro said:


> Great looking flora and fauna!! I really like the layout and I'm sure the fish love it. Still no cories in there though? Your tank could use a good school of some Sterbai cories perhaps. Cories are one of my favorite to keep. Maybe even try Albinos the white would contrast nice in there.


It's true, Cory's are pretty awesome. I have thought of adding a bunch but I feel like there are already a lot of fish in the tank, I could probably add more but I don't think I want to just yet. Possibly once I fill the bottom in with plants a bit more I might be more inclined to get put some in. That or possibly some other sort of small cat or Pleco. Not to sure yet


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

esteban said:


> Looking great! It's really come together nicely. Are all the val original, or has it started to spread? Wondering if you find that it spreads along the back (following the glass) or does it send runners out in every direction?


It's sent out lots of runners. When I planted them I tried to position the existing runners so they'd grow at the back wall but I've had a few randomly pop up dead center of the tank.


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Made some changes to the tank move some smaller swords up front, moved my anubias plants around, took out a butt load of nana, moved the rubin sword to another tank and added some clippings of wisteria I got from a guy near by. Here are some pics


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Here is the fts


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## Clemsons2k (May 31, 2009)

Very natural looking, good job


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

thanks,thats kinda the thing that i'm going for. i've also added some duck weed to the top. i think my fish hate it right now. i trimmed back my amazon swords like crazy, probably took out 20 leaves or so, plus i cut back the giant val a bit so its really bright in there now. i think everyone was in shock really, my keyholes just sort of hugged the bottom. i might throw a few of the anubias that i yanked out back in and just let them float around to give some shade


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Big changes need to be made, I picked up 6 red head geo tapajos, so I want to move things around to create more open sand areas, also I added another sponge filter making it two I have in there so I'd like to hide them a little. My plan so far is to just sort of jam the crypts more into the back corners. Might get rid of the smaller swords. And other suggestions? I'm open to anything


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

And just to be clear I'm aware it will be overstocked. I plan to move some of the current inhabitants around to other tanks and such


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

i'm thinking of maybe even moving my rock pile around. i was initially using it to hold down the driftwood while it soaked but it should be plenty waterlogged now. i might flip it over to give it more of a root-like look, which might also create a bit more shade for them as well as free up some space on the substrate. if i do that i might plant the crypts around the tips of the wood that will be sticking into the sand.
any other suggestions?


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

or should i remove the crypts all together, along with the anubias to make this a more accurate SA depiction? so many options. i hate getting inspired while i'm sitting at work during the first hr of my shift


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

So I did it. Moved a bunch of stuff around. I'm pretty happy with the end product. Took out most of the big rocks. i might still move some stuff around specifically in by the sponge on the left side, it's too visible. The goal over all was to free up more space on the ground for the geos to sift. Of course I still want it to look good. Criticism welcome.
Here's the fts








Here is the middle, I've built up the wentii into two bushes mostly with a path in between








And here are my new little buddies, 6 geo tapajos "red head" or orange head whichever you prefer. I'm very excited to get these guys, I've wanted them for a while and I finally broke down and grabbed some. I think I'm going to probably try to re home the angels. The keyholes are going into my 75 in a couple weeks, leaving just the geos, the bolivian rams and the tetras. I'm probably going to get some cories after a bit, maybe pandas. I saw a school of them somewhere the other day that looked awesome. And then I will be happy for a few more months. Anyway here's the pic








Also my apologies for the less than award winning photography. I was being rushed by the gf to finish with fish stuff and pay attention to her so I just snapped em off.


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

I also added some crypt lucens to the front and got a couple wentii with short broad leaves, the are really helping to give a bushier look that the stringy ones I've had in there so far do. I've also put duckweed up top to filter the light. As I mentioned earlier I've added a couple sponge filters, so that combined with the fluval 404 I feel very comfortable with my bio filter. I took out all of my anubias barteri nana. I might add some back. Might not. Who knows. Ill try to get better photos of the geos at feeding time tonight


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## Clemsons2k (May 31, 2009)

Rescape looks good!


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Clemsons2k said:


> Rescape looks good!


thanks! i was a little sad to look back at the old pics in this thread, some were looking pretty good. but i like this a lot as well.

i'd love to get some feedback from people who have kept geos of approximately the same size as red heads. i've read conflicting reports of tetras becoming dinner, but most the threads i read were about bigger geos like altifrons. i am also concerned that once they get bigger if they will dig through my approx. 2 inches of sand and disturb the soil underneath. so any advice or suggestions with the scape are welcome!


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Here's a pic of my geos. They are surprisingly hard to photograph. They hold still when I'm looking into the tank but as soon as I try to take a pic the go ape and dash around everywhere. Jerks.








And here is the fts. I've cleared it out a little bit more, moved the crypts off to my 75 before they are all floating.


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