# 56G~harlequin Rasbora breeding pics!!~



## skye144 (Sep 16, 2008)

are you going to paint the inside of those tunnels black or brown so the white dosent stand out so much? other than that I like the idea


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## MikeS (Apr 27, 2008)

skye144 said:


> I like the idea


Me too!


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

What is the material you are using there? I am trying to understand what I am looking at.


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

Those photos are way over-processed...


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

*skye* - I would love to paint/color them black but I don't know of a paint that is suitable and non-toxic for use in aquariums. Any suggestions?

*GMC* - I went to home depot to find something to use with no success so I asked an employee for a suggestions and he said I could cut up and use a plastic refrigerator/dryer pan. If it works it works :icon_lol:

*Thanks MikeS*


*RoyBoy* - I couldnt get any of my photo programs to load the pics so I had to load them on MS Word then copy/paste into Image ready, then into photoshop. From there I had to host on ImageShack. Somewhere in those many steps they got messed.


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## confuted (Jan 31, 2007)

I like the idea for the caves; I might steal it. Are you doing anything to have water flow through the cave? I'm not sure if stagnant water inside might be a concern. What if a fish or other critter goes in there to die? Do you have a plan?

Something needs to be done about the photos though. Did you try just opening them with MS Paint? Alternatively, GIMP is available for free and can handle all your image processing needs.

Krylon Fusion is generally accepted as aquarium safe. I'm not sure how well it would stick to PVC though; sanding the inside to roughen it might help. Another idea to try would be smearing silicone around the inside of the pipe and then covering it in sand; I'd try it on a scrap piece of piping first.

Others have used Rit fabric dye on PVC with great success; I'd look into it: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=254121&sid=e694d0b2bed251017d4a816d55558565


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

*Confuted *- I have to admit I never thought about a dieing fish crawling in there let alone putting flow in it. Its a great idea with a few minor imperfections. If I come up with an idea you will be the first to know and if you come up with anything feel free to share it with me


*LIGHTS*
Anyways its time for a little update. Today I finished building my AH supply kit 2x55 Watt Compact Florescent kit. My camera is on the fritts but pictures will be coming soon. Until then ill just tell you a little about how I put them together.

With the hood of my 56G came the standard florescent light package and I also had one left over from my 29G. I took the two light cases and gutted them, rebuilt the inside with reflector etc, and drilled a hole for the wire/cord. It truly looks great! I still have to build a simple gap to let heat escape (I learned that today when I put a 40W incandescent in a 25W rated lamp, almost caught my 10G on fire!:icon_eek.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

They make black PVC http://www.savko.com/


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

lol, looks like your camera is in "pastel mode"


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

You could drill a small hole in that back corner of the pipe (I think it would split the flow in the pipe if you drill the exact corner) and pop one of these badboys on there
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4585+4601&pcatid=4601


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

Doh


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

*Lauralee* - I wish I knew about that black pvc earlier. Keeping it in mind for next time.

*Clwatkins* - It does seem that way but It looked perfectly normal when I uploaded it in MS Word. Im guessing it got messed up transfering from MSWORD to image ready.

*Mott *- That looks like a handy little pump you found there! Have you any experience with them? Only $15 is a steal!


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## forddna (Sep 12, 2007)

Is that the 30x18x25high tank?


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Update Time!

I'm working kind of slow due to school. But got my substrate in yesterday and ply wooded my stand made from 2x4s. Just need to find a paneling or stain that matches the tank trim. Does anyone know what color oak is on the tank?

I have somewhat of an idea on how I want the tank to look but still have a few issues. I have the big slope on the left and was wondering if it would look unbalanced if I had no plants or hardscape on the right. I'm going to use white play sand on the front 4-5" of the tank and was also wanting to maybe put a white sand "river" in there. 

Here is what I have so far as for pictures:

6gallon Substrate:
















Tank&stand:
































Idea for substrate/hardscape:


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## Lorenmws (Jul 27, 2008)

Pics don't work:icon_frow

Loren


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Still?


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

They work now.
Looks like a cool plan. The play sand and the black substrate will probably mix though. The black stuff is just sms which is really light. Works wonders for the plants though


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

I also have some black play sand. Do you think it would alright to top of the AQ.com Substrate to make it darker? I know eventually the sand will probably fall through the substrate but that wont be for a while. The AQ substrate is pretty fine.


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## forddna (Sep 12, 2007)

Mike, what are the dimensions of your tank?


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

forddna - Its a 30x25x18


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Todays goal will be to move the tank to the other side of the room, wash the substrate, and begin to set up my hard scape. Pic updates later tonight


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Update! Progress Was Actually Made!!!

Anyway, I started by outlining how I wanted the substrate using washable marker on the tank bottom. Rubs right off and worked out great. Then I washed the substrate. It was real murky at first and never ran perfectly clean but was a lot better. It stayed fairly clear as long as I did not stir it up. I would say as a rule of thumb for rinsing your substrate, when the fragments and dust clouds in the water settles down after 1 minute then its clean enough. 

Started to build the slope and then used tin foil on the guided marker lines. Poured in more of the black stuff. 

BTW it turns nice and dark when wet!.

Played with the elevation a little till I got it right. Then poured the white sand. Got about 1/3-1/4 of the substrate left so I might hook up my 10G after I get this bad boy pumping. 

I also had a few spare pieces of DW so i Stuck em in their. A few places I liked em but i thought that this final placement wasn't to shabby. If you have any ideas on the DW just let me know. 

Just realized I had no pics of it finished so ill take and post em in the next 10 mins. 

Still need to clean out my filter and stuff before the water goes in.

Comment and critique please,


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

More pix as promised


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## frozenbarb (Dec 16, 2006)

I like the looks of this and the big slope/cave idea.

I can't want to see this full up and planted.


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

I can wait either! Gotta wait till monday before I can get to the light store to pick up a ballast that will work. The one I got at home Depot just doesn't cut it.

Does anyone know what color oak the standard oak tank trim is?


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

putting in the water as we speak. Looking a little cloudy but nothing a good 24hrs of filtering cant help. :fish:


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## Characins (Feb 4, 2008)

Wow, very creative!

I can't wait to see what that looks like in a couple months!


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

well its full now all I need before I start putting in the plants is a ballast.


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## forddna (Sep 12, 2007)

Cool. I just bought the same tank. I'll be starting a build thread soon. Do you know what fish you are going to keep?


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

*Forddna* - Great! Cant wait to see how you develop your tank.

As for fish....
3-4 species total

Top:
Guppies (Maybe)

Mid level Schooling: 1 or 2 of the following
cardinals 
or 
rummy nose 
or 
van rio 
or 
serpae'


Bottom:
Panda cory - x8-10
or
Angelicus Loach - x5-6

Pairing:
GBR
or
flame gourami
or
juli gombi (or some kind of peaceful dwarf cichlid)


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## forddna (Sep 12, 2007)

Sounds nice. My Zebra and Leopard Danios stick to the top, too..just throwing that out there. I assume all danios would do the same??


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Forgot all about danios! I love watching em zoom around!

how big of a school of panda cories do you think I could house?


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## forddna (Sep 12, 2007)

6-8 should be plenty. Maybe start with 3-4, then add 3-4 more (don't want too much bioload added at once), and see how things go.


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## StereoKills (Mar 1, 2008)

For your mid level schooling fish, you'll want at least 5 or 6 of the same species or they won't school.


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

I meant 1-2 different species. Prob around 10 of each.


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## mizu-chan (May 13, 2008)

I must say that this is one of the most original ideas I have seen in a long time. Extreamly creative and innovative.
I'm really excited to see this thing up and running.  
Have you decided what kind of plants you're going to put in?


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Update: The water has been in for 2 or 3 days and has been conditioned. Still a little murky after 1 dose of API ACCU-CLEAR, so I added another done. It may be one of the drift woods. I wasn't able to boil it (to big) but instead soaked it a few times over 36-48hrs but I guess it wasn't enough. Anyone have any ideas how to clear up the water? 


mizu - I have done a little sketch that looks great, Just need a way to scan it onto the computer and have somone ID a plant that looks close to the ones my imagination created :icon_roll. Looks good though. I know a red tiger lotus, a moss covered rock or 2, Some type of tall grass, maybe some HC... when i get some exact names ill be sure to share it.


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## forddna (Sep 12, 2007)

Mike, carbon is your friend! I used a Bio-Zorb packet in my canister filter. You can also use Purigen, but I have only heard of using it in a container holding JUST the wood. Not sure it's okay to put in the tank, but I would think it is??? Either one you could get at any decent LFS.


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

I have carbon in my filter, do you not think the carbon in my filter cartridge is enough? I am running a Whisper rated for up to 60G. Prob should get a bigger, better one but don't have the the "assets" at the moment. I saw this little thing that was like $15, it was a bunch of little white beads in a mesh bag that is supposed to clear the water. I thought $15 was a little much compared to the ACCU CLEAR so I got that instead.


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Another question...

How long does it take for drift wood to sink? Been over 36hrs maybe 48 and they still float....any tips or tricks?


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## forddna (Sep 12, 2007)

Can you just boil parts of it?


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

The truth is I never thought about boiling parts at a time :icon_eek: 

Good Idea:thumbsup:


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

UPDATE:

Well the Boiling parts at a time did not work either. If anyone else has another Idea to sink my bigger piece of drift wood that would be great!

Well I got the new ballast and almost went blind when I plugged it in.  They are bright roud: They look good and don't get hot at all. The only problem is that it looks like it is missing a part of the spectrum, Just doesn't look right. If anyone could tell me what I'm missing and a cheap way to fix it that would be great :icon_roll The bulbs are 9325K and 3000Lumins. Its got a huge spike the in orange but not much dark red so that is what I'm thinking it may be. Also not much green.

Besides the lights I got plants in the tank  I know :bounce::bounce::bounce: Its a little sparse but its my first planted tank. If anyone could tell me a little about the plants and any problems they see that would be great. :help: Like if I bought non-aquatic plants etc...:icon_conf

Also got a snail with the purchase. Do these snails ever eat your plants?

But to no further adue The PICTURES!!!! :drool::drool::drool::drool::drool:


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Oh yea, And if anyone has any experience with a good online store to get plants such as Dwarf Hair grass and Red Tiger Lotus', what website do you use?


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## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

i can count 3 non-aquatic plants


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

chris127 said:


> i can count 3 non-aquatic plants


 That sucks big :fish1: 

So which ones?


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## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

the green and white ones - aluminum plant i think, the purple and green ones - purple waffle, and the tall one i believe is mondo grass.

dont worry, lots of us bought those when we first started out.  try and return them with the argument that you sold them fully submerged but they cant live fully submerged, so you mislead me and i want a refund


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

wow, i love those green and white ones. I knew they were to good to be true =]. Thanks for the help though.


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## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

grow em in a window lol!!


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

I just might do that lol


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## forddna (Sep 12, 2007)

http://store.aquaticplantdepot.com/index.html


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

MikeP_123 said:


> I meant 1-2 different species. Prob around 10 of each.


How about neons tetra and cardinals tetras or neons tetras and black neon tetras?


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Hilde said:


> How about neons tetra and cardinals tetras or neons tetras and black neon tetras?


that would be sweet


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Well I took back the Plants and exchanged them for true aquatic plants. Will post pictures soon. The owner kept insisting he would never sell non-aquatic plants and that he has been in the business for around 13Years. I thought it was funny that I, a 17 year old, knows more about his trade then he does (thanks to this great forum).


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

I vote 20 rummy nose tetras


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

PIC UPDATE!!!! These are some of the new plants I got. Found a new aquatic fish/plant store that wont argue with me about whether plants are true-aquatics or not. Great selection and the manager is a fellow plant enthusiast! I'm so happy :bounce::bounce::bounceics....

I'm planning on moving a few plants around to more vary the leaf type. *Any scaping suggestions, comments, and critiques are encouraged!*


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

lookin' better all the time


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

slowly but surely


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Can anyone ID this plant for me? It came mixed in with one of the other plants so I stuck it in the substrate.

sorry for the blurry pics, still working on my close ups.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

maybe a crypt? If it is, then you might want to make sure that the rhizome isn't buried, is there a picture of a flower on one of the buttons on your camera? The flower button is usually the macro button, which helps you take better pics


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Yea, I'm just starting to learn the power of the magic flower. Did I just sound like a stoner?

Anyway, What exactly is the rhizome?


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## W-Oz (Oct 10, 2008)

Rhizome is the name of the root bundle/stem doohickey thing. Basically you just want to bury the roots of a Rhizome plant, anything above the roots (will be rather bulbous typically) should be exposed to the water.

======|||--------,-'-,-',
^ Roots ^Rhizome ^Leaves and Stems

Hopefully this diagram will help.

Edit: The same applies to Rosette plants. The Rosette is where all the individual stems meet (like a bunch of celery). Again, only the roots should be buried. I've found the easiest way to do this is just to plant the thing then gently pull the plant up until it's where it should be.


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Thanks man, Best dang word diagram I have ever seen =]

UPDATE: Just got a pair (what I hope/think is a pair) of golden rams. Brilliant color and hope I can get them to breed.


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## Christine T (May 4, 2008)

Very creative set up. 

I think that some Echinodorus tenellus (Pygmy Chain Sword) would look good on the lower right part.


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Christine T said:


> Very creative set up.
> 
> I think that some Echinodorus tenellus (Pygmy Chain Sword) would look good on the lower right part.


Great! Ive been looking a long time for somthing to fill out that right corner.


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

UPDATE!!!!!! RAMS 

Alright, well... dont know much about rams (other than what I have been reading for the past 10hrs) but decided to purchase a few that I fell in love with at the store. Both are gold rams. Turns out from what I read that gold rams are just a strain of the BGR (German Blue Ram). From what I have read I have come to a conclusion that I did in fact purchase a pair. So... what I want to do is bread them and have lots of little gold rams to admire and give to good homes. When I put them in the tank they were not shy at all and immediately began to explore every nook and cranny. My rams don't spend all the time in the world together but I often see them swimming side by side.

I did get to witness one very strange act by my van Rios though. When I put the rams in one of the rios began to rub up against my ram. Imagine a cat rubbing against your leg, same kind of thing. It wasn't aggressive at all and the ram wasn't even fazed by it. He just sat there getting rubbed down. What could this have been? A hello? Was he cleaning off his old slime coat or what?

Any way, The new pictures of my rams. The red on the fins is much deeper in real life but these are the best pictures I could get in a few minutes.

What I think Is a male (You cant tell but his bottom fins are pointy and his top fin has 1or2 extra long spines)








.
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.
What I think Is a female








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.
2 Pictures of the Couple swimming together








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.
The rams with my FAT A$z Van rio


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Oh, do you guys think that hair grass will come back? Came in the mail like that.


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## W-Oz (Oct 10, 2008)

I think it'll rebound just fine. My GF's Dwarf Hair Grass suffered while it wasn't getting light for almost 3 weeks while we waited for a replacement Coralife fixture to come in. Looked pretty sad, but once the light went on it was mostly green again after about a week.


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## forddna (Sep 12, 2007)

I think you should line the bottom of the mountain with some hairgrass. That'll give it a more natural look.


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

forddna said:


> I think you should line the bottom of the mountain with some hairgrass. That'll give it a more natural look.


The bottom as in below the wall or above the wall?


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## forddna (Sep 12, 2007)

Above the wall, sloping up the mountain. Like this..


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## jinx© (Oct 17, 2007)

Cool concept, but I think I would have glued black substrate to the divider wall rather than the tan gravel. It still looks good though.


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## forddna (Sep 12, 2007)

Sorry to say it, but I agree.


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

just what i had at the time i started...


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## forddna (Sep 12, 2007)

That's all right!! It'll give you something to try when you're ready for a change or rescape.


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

UPDATE:

Got 3 new plants! It's starting to fill in nice... Im loving the purple effect of those cardinal plants. have 2 going to get 1 more. Ill post more pictures 2night. My male ram has a beautiful blue sheen over him at the right angle showing his relation to the BGRs. The female has a beautiful pink belly. Hope she spawns soon, I've been feeding frozen foods since I got em. Wish I could get this on a picture. Anyway, I've decided to do alot of hairgrass and some giant grass on the right corner maybe along with some red plant.


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Getting A little Better with the camera

the pair:











The female:











The Male:











































Blurry pic but it shows a little bit of the blue shine he has in person:












One of my favorite plants, the cardinal plant (Lobelia Cardinalis), Amazing purple haze to it in real life:


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## cah925 (May 18, 2007)

Great photos! Your rams are gorgeous. I have only had the Lobelia Cardinalis 'small form' so far and mine never had that purple hue. I hope it stays for you.


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

cah925 said:


> Great photos! Your rams are gorgeous. I have only had the Lobelia Cardinalis 'small form' so far and mine never had that purple hue. I hope it stays for you.


Thanks, I love my rams

In person the purple is about 4-6x what it is in these pictures. I hope it stays also. The newer leaves seem to not have as much but I hope that is just until they fully develop.


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

going out to get more plants tonight. more pics to come


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

UPDATE!!!!


Just was admiring my tank when I notice that *MY TELANTHERA IS BLOOMING!!!* I'm like Woah!!!! :eek5::eek5::eek5: Thats new :thumbsup: 

I can't get any pictures but it looks sweet!!!! I'll keep trying to get a good close up. Anyway... they are little white buds blooming at each joint of the plants. The contrast of the white on red is stunning :bounce::bounce::bounce:I'm excited :hihi:


Kinda like this but alot bigger and pure white pedals:


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

cah925 said:


> Great photos! Your rams are gorgeous. I have only had the Lobelia Cardinalis 'small form' so far and mine never had that purple hue. I hope it stays for you.


I could be wrong but that may be emerssed growth.

Mike, can we get a FTS


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## cah925 (May 18, 2007)

mott said:


> I could be wrong but that may be emerssed growth.
> 
> Mike, can we get a FTS


That was my first thought also.


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Alright. Nothing has changed to much though... Got some new grass and thickened my Telanthera up a bit. I really like that telanthera because of the red color. I need more red plants... Any suggestions? 

Looking like a need a nice black background so I'm going out tomorrow for one. Poster board will work right?

List for Tomorrow: Black Poster Board, Slate Rock, R/O water, Maybe plants, New Filters.

FTS, (Lights were off):










My New Favorite Plant, Cant see the buds to well though:


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

cah925 said:


> That was my first thought also.


Yea, that is probably it. Maybe I can grow them immersed every few weeks


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Is that a marbled anubias?


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

IDK my BFF Jill....

I don't know. From what I have seen that would be pretty tall for a marbled anubias


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## cah925 (May 18, 2007)

I'm not sure about the black background with such a large black hill. I think it may merge with the hill in photos and take away the dramatic slope you have created. Personally I would try blue first and see how it looks.


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Your prob right. I'll buy both and see how they look. After all they are only like $1.29:smile:


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

UPDATE ALRIGHT!!!

Well. Got me a nice black background made of cloth from the Walmart sewing section. Blue didn't turn out to my liking so I stuck with the black. Tank is starting to look better and better. Just got to fill out a little more. 

I also think I am starting to get to many species of plants and am going to just spread these out or get more of the same species and maybe even toss some that don't go with the flow I'm looking for. If I cant get any progress trying to get the hair grass to rebound by next weekend then I'm prob going to give her a toss also. 

Still haven't started any C02 and am not getting Excel in till around Friday.... Thats prob why my Dwarf Baby tears aren't doing so well.

Just did a 20% water change so about 10% of my tank water is now distiled and the tank is a few degrees chillier in an attempt to induce spawning with my rams. If this doesn't work then I'll just let nature take its course... Also going to go to home depot to find some nice flat slate rocks.

*PICS!!!

FTS:












Random other Pics (close ups always make my tank look better):
























*


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

This has really started to come together. I am not sure i like the "divider" at the bottom of the mountain in terms of the color of rocks but it is really cool in design. I'm using many similar plants so it is inspiring. Good work, and thanks for the help you have given me in threads.


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Thanks! Glad to hear someone say its coming together. After that last post I just made on your other thread I think I know what look I am going for. Now I just need a lot of dime$....


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

*More Pics =]*

Prob 2 many pics of my rams lol. Got a lot of growth on my banana plant. It shows in just 6 hrs about 3 Inches!!!

Also I never showed you all my light set up so here are some pics of that.
2x55W AH Supply Kit Retrofits. Put them in the original hood lamps that came with this tank and my 29G. Just drilled out some holes on the side for the wires. The reflectors and lights fit in perfectly.

* Lights:*


















* FTS (Does it look better with the flash?)
This morning:*








*

now:
w/o flash:*










* With flash:*









* Pair:*



































* Female:*


























*
Male:*


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Oh yea... Sorry for all the substrate on my sand. My old friend, the panda cory, just got introduced to the tank....


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

SUPER UPDATE#!!!!

My gold rams just breed about 30 mins ago right on the rock I put in there for them. I was watching the male cleaning off the rock (a tell tale sign) and got all exited. My dad thought I was just being crazy since I think they are going to breed like every other day.... But they finaly did it!!!!! 

the male has spent the past 30 mins chasing away shrimp and sliding against the eggs (I guess he is fertilizing them). The female seems a bit insecure when the male goes away. She runs right after him when she sees him. Its like she's saying "Hello Honey, I'm so glad your back!"

Ill try to get pictures asap but don't want to spook the parents into eating the eggs. It is after all their first time.

I have a 10 G empty but haven't cycled it yet. Do you guys think I should get that ready with tank water or something? I kinda wanna get the parents trained to take care of their young.

I cant wait to see a bunch of little fishies :fish::fish::fish::fish::fish::fish::fish::fish::fish::fish::fish:



I don't have too many things in the 56. Just a panda cory, 4 van rio tetras, and 3 ghost shrimp. Any potential problems there?


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

Rams tend to take a few clutches to get it right, so don't expect too much.

Nice tank and rams though!

-Andrew


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## cah925 (May 18, 2007)

Congrats! I hope we get to see some baby pics soon.


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

I just saw the coolest thing! The male and female take turns watching the eggs. But what is cool is when ever its the males turn or the female wants the male to come over the starts to look left and right like 10 times in a row at full speed. She does it so tight that it's almost like the starts doing little figure eights. Kinda looks like she's spazzin out or having a seizure or something.


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## cah925 (May 18, 2007)

It is certainly a fun experience watching new fish behaviors.


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## fishboy87 (Feb 19, 2008)

Good Luck! Like cah925 said it really is fun watching new fish behaviors!


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## chonhzilla (Apr 22, 2008)

cool build up. nice final product.


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

chonhzilla said:


> cool build up. nice final product.


Thanks, but it's not done yet :smile:


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

I would suggest getting the Cory (Adolfoi?) out of there or they shall be having caviar ala Ramirezi for dinner...


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

gmccreedy said:


> I would suggest getting the Cory (Adolfoi?) out of there or they shall be having caviar ala Ramirezi for dinner...


Thats one way to put it . Ill take him out right now. Thanks for the input!


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## tinah (Oct 27, 2008)

this is really looking nice!! Where are you getting your plants? I must be missing a store somewhere. I never see plants like that around here.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

What is the name of the store you go to in Merritt Island, Fla for plants? I used to live there. Sometimes I like to revisit the area.

So you are going to home depot to find some nice flat slate rocks. Last time I looked at their slate it had a film on it I didn't like. Have your tried landscapers for slate?


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

The store I usualy go to is by the Publix on 520 and Courtney Pkway. The mannager there is a fellow plant enthusiast as well. They get there shipments every thursday.
Occasionaly I will go to the one by the HomeDepot but be ware... over *HALF* the plants that are sold there are non aquatic. But they have some beautiful plants that have been set up in there fish tanks.


well guys, its been a long time (with many anoing algea blooms), but I shall make a little *update*. 

The rams have breed a total of three times. The third being the most successfull but still no adult rams. They got about 100 swimming and then one day they all dissapeared...

Note: Rams will not breed in even the slightest cloudy water... AND blood worms will change there color in a matter of hours.

A few plants have died in the process of controlling my algea. The giant hairgrass has a little setback and I have also introduced a few more plants. I am realy falling in love with this plant sold as "alternanthera reineckii". 

Questions: As I understand it, CO2 will help control/prevent algea blooms...but will flourish excell do the same thing or can the algea utilize the "middle product"?

If anyone has any segestions on how to control this cloudy water. It would be awesome.


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## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

wow. i love this tank. i live in orlando and my dad usually travels to merrit island so if you ever want some plants im sure we could arrange something. im still in the process of getting them to grow out but i could definitely share some extras 


i love your rams as well. they look really nice, im glad you got them to breed. i remember the first time i saw my tetras breeding, i started jumping upside down and everything. 
well, co2 wont exactly make the algae go away but it'll boost your plants' health meaning that they'll be able to compete better against the algae. excel is awesome for plants and some say that it has some algaecidal properties, but im not 100% sure. 
if you have some $ then definitely invest it in some pressurized it'll make your plants BOOM!!

oh and it sucks that the giant hairgrass melted, its such an awesome plant, it would have made such a good background.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

MikeP_123 said:


> The rams have breed a total of three times. The third being the most successfull but still no adult rams. They got about 100 swimming and then one day they all dissapeared...


You are so fortunately that the 2 connected so well. That doesn't always happen with the 1st pair. 

Someone on You Tube told me that his rams ate their fry until they became experienced.



MikeP_123 said:


> I am realy falling in love with this plant sold as "alternanthera reineckii".


I found that plant needs a lot of light. Have read that adding iron will keep the red plants red.



MikeP_123 said:


> Questions: As I understand it, CO2 will help control/prevent algea blooms...but will flourish excell do the same thing or can the algea utilize the "middle product"?


Flourish excel is used to replace the carbon that injected Co2 gives the plants. It kills many types of algae most of the time. It doesn't keep it under control. I and complexity have found to keep BBA under control is easier by concentrating on the growth of the plants. Adding KNO3 has and adding a powerhead has increased the growth of my plants and gotten rid of the BBA, which is a chronic problem, in my tank. Thus I think algae is due to an imbalance of the lights and nutrients. 

The higher the light the higher the amount Co2 needed. The lights are the engine to everything. Something I learned from aaronnorth. 

I use Clear by nutrafin when I have some cloudiness. I think it works better than accu-clear. It is listed as biological water clarifier.

Did you get the problem with your lights taken care of? Did you add fans?

Examples of lights:
http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/lighting.htm

If you decide to buy some ferts, here is a link to buy dry ferts. They are cheaper and last longer than ferts in the stores. Also you'll find than some ferts need to be diluted. He supplies the info on the solutions at the sight
http://www.rexgrigg.com/ 
Here are where I have bought plants in Florida: 
aquaticplantdepot.com. Ph: 813-621-4213 
cah925 [email protected] 
member of aquaticplantcentral. His plants are grown with injected Co2, thus need ferts to adjust to non injected Co2. Has sent me generous amounts of plants.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

MikeP_123 said:


> If anyone has any segestions on how to control this cloudy water. It would be awesome.


Recently found putting a bag of purigen in the filter helps with that.


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## Bahugo (Apr 18, 2011)

lol, I was reading this thread because I have a 56g tank, and then realized it was from 2008/jan09 >.> Nice bump Hilde


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## amberskye (Apr 22, 2011)

MikeP_123 said:


> Thanks! Glad to hear someone say its coming together. After that last post I just made on your other thread I think I know what look I am going for. Now I just need a lot of dime$....


wow, from your first photos to what you have now is pretty amazing. You have done a really good job there!roud:


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Ah thanks! I had to tear this tank down though  
But on the bright side I just revamped the stand last night with some home made "antique wood". Now that I'm thinking about it I should post a pic of that thing. :icon_bigg


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## amberskye (Apr 22, 2011)

what happened Mike?


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

amberskye said:


> what happened Mike?


Major Algae bloom when I went off to college and just got out of hand.

I got my stand revamped as it says above and have the tank all set up!!! I'm going to get a camera tonight to start posting pics, but I'll just give a little run down now.

I moved it to the family room so I am really trying to work on the aesthetics of this thing. Pretty cool rock scape, though I noticed some things I could have done better... but little too late. Anyway, the residents are as follows:

10x herlequin rasboras ~ caught them in the act of breeding not even two days after they were introduced!
3x otos
2x gold ram ~ very young but look like they are pairing up quite nicely, the color on the female is extraordinary for bein a girl.
2x amano shrimp
1x apple snail ~ marcell the shell

Hope I can get some pics tonight. roud:


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Here are some pics as of now. If anyone could help on plant placement/choices that would be bomb (great)! Let me know what you think and any suggestions.
PS: pardon the diatoms


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## lbacha (Apr 13, 2011)

How secure is that piece of rock I can just see that smaller piece guiding it directly into the front glass if you accidentally hit it the wrong way.

Len


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

was my concern for a while, but I can hit the thing pretty hard w/o it goin any where. Have it secured with silicone where ever I can. But... any suggestions on the scape?


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Well I woke up to see my rasboras mating again. I was watching in awe until I realized I had a new camera!!!! W00t!!! PICS!!!! I did get to see some eggs pop out, i'd say about 15 at a time. I thought the eggs would stick to the leaf but instead just ricochet off to the ground and I couldn't find em to remove...
With no further adieu, "harlequins harlequing"

PS: Just found some eggs!!! W00t! roud:
PSS: my rams had caviar 



















and my rams...


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