# 55 gal rescape



## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

A little off subject does anyone know how to upload pics into the "your tanks" section at the top of the page. It keeps saing my pic is too large, and I dont know how to make it smaller.

I know the pics are a little blurry, I am lookng into a tripod and better lenses for my wifes camera now. I can buy them as an early christmas present for her and use it myself. :thumbsup:


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## CobraGuppy (Sep 23, 2007)

I like the rescape, are you thinking of covering the wood with moss? I think that would look good.

Is the e tennelus on the left side foreground?


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

Yes I have 2 baseball size portions of christmas moss coming in tomorrow. I will let some water out and tie the moss to the tips of the wood maybe this week end. 

Yes it is e.tennelus. I also have some other rocks coming in today. It is Ryuoh Stone, similar to Seiryu Stone but not as expensive. I will then change afew things around again. 

My only dilemma is I dont know what I what to do with the Erios because they are very hard to fit into most scapes. I want to eventally go with a Glosso foreground and I think they would get lost in this foreground.


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## Kolkri (Dec 9, 2006)

Looks good and wow do you have a ton of fish.


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

Kolkri said:


> Looks good and wow do you have a ton of fish.


 
Yeah. Platys, they just cant get enough of each other.


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

Ok Just got my wife new lenses for her camera. New lenses mean new pics, since the others are terrible I hope these are a little better. 

I have HC on the way for the foreground, and I also added a few rocks to the scape. I covered the Manzinita with CHristmas moss too. How does it look. 

FTS

















A few close ups. ( I love the macro lens)
Black Rabbit Snail

















Big line Zebra Snail hiding in the low gro hygro









Center Shot


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

A couple more. 

Left Side









Right Side


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

What do I need to make this more interesting. Any suggestions


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## rountreesj (Jun 12, 2007)

some glosso...jk lol, maybe some bigger rocks and adjust some of the saturation lower on you camera


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

rountreesj said:


> some glosso...jk lol,


HAHA, Thats whats up. 

Bigger rocks really, I thought that when plants start to fill in a little bit more I thought my rocks would look just right. I'll need to look into it. I never really thought about it.

As for the camera I no the pics look like ish. I have no photography skills at all, I dont even know what is or how to adjust the saturation. I am use to disposibles and poloroid instamatics. lol. 

I am trying to read up on a little photograpy tips, if anyone has any suggestions on websites or books lemme know.


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## rountreesj (Jun 12, 2007)

should be a setting on your camera, or on your computer whenever you upload the pics, there is some way to edit pics...the saturation should be able to adjust. Also try to use a tripod or some level surface to take the pictures...they are much clearer if the camera is perfectly steady.


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

Just a quick update, I am still learning how to take pics besides just pointing and clicking. So excuse the crappy pics. 

Still any comments are welcome.

FTS

















Right Side









Left Side









Center a bit blurry. 










Like I said excuse the pics, I am using a tripod, new lenses and everything. IDK I will just keep reading the photography thread. 

I also removed some plants and added some plants so the list may not be up to date.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I think the tank looks awesome. :thumbsup:

I'm definitely not one to give "expert" photo advice, but my pics do turn out better when I take them at night and make sure that the tank glass is freshly cleaned and there's no other lights on to reflect off the tank (so the camera doesn't focus on the glass).


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

Yeah I thought of that but I go to work at 6p. I may try when daylight savings is over. I think it will make a difference.


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## BeanMachine (Aug 29, 2008)

*Go Skins!*

Completely off topic I know. 

I'm so glad they beat Dallas this past weekend. 

Nice looking tank!


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

ME TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can never be off topic whe talking bout the Redskins


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

the tank is nice, but it needs a stronger mdiground. its kinda like a wall of plants going from foreground to background in most spots. i reccomend you try putting some more midground plants in there and see if you like it.


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

I agree on the midground plants. I have been trying to get some especially on the left side. All I have there basically is sunset hygro. I need to take another pic because I have since I put about 4 more peices of DW over there and I think it looks better. 

I am still in the process of seeing what grows in my tank well. What are some mid ground plants do you think will work?


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## kotoeloncat (Apr 12, 2006)

man I love your woodwork, 

do I spy an assasin snail ?
if thats an assasin snail, how do you manage to keep that with nerites ?

I would imagine the nerite would make a nice dinner for him

Nice selection if fish too, it contrasses well with the plants. very vibrant tank


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

WHich is the assassin snail. The big line zebra or the Black rabbit snail. 

Thanks I could do without the fish, They reproduce to fast for me and I dont have a local fish store close by to try and sell them to. They are a trip though, They follow me all along the tank whenever I come into the room. All but 5 were born in this tank and I think there are about 60 ( mostly juvies and fry).


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I think Crypts, Blyxa and E. angustfolius 'vesuvius' would all be great options for midground plants; they're my favorites, anyways. :icon_cool


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

There are some vesuvius and Crypts in the new pics.

Here is an update.

Are the pics any better.





































What do you think?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Yeah, I really do think they helped. 

Now what you need is a focal point. Either a distinctive plant, or reposition the hardscape... right now there's no one place that catches the eye first, everything just sort of gets lost in a green blur.


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

A focal point Hmmm. ... I have a red tiger lotus coming maybe that will help. 

I am also thinking of taking the christmas moss off of the DW. You can barely see the plants growing between the DW peices. 

I have just found out there is a term for me and my tank ........... collectoritis. I have seen it used but didnt quite grasp the use of the word. I may have around 25 - 30 different variations of plants in this tank.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Great tank  Its really lush


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

clwatkins10 said:


> Great tank  Its really lush


 
Thanks! Your tanks look great too especially the 20gal. I have been watching that one for a while.


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## jcardona1 (Jun 27, 2008)

this is really an awesome tank! i love the clash of green and orange colors of the fish!!!


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

WOW thanks. Trust me this was not done on purpose. The fish were there first, before I even knew what a planted tank was. 

Thanks for the compliment jcardona1.


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

Update time......

Ok I added a few Anubias nana and barteri. and a red tiger lily on the left side. I went out of town for the Thanksgiving week and did not dose any ferts and the najas took off. They grew to the top and got very bushy, so i guess I need to adjust my fert routine. 

N E Ways a few pics...........

FTS

















Right Side









Left Side 









Najas 









Are my erios flowering? How do I split these? 









All comments are welcome.


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

A little update.

FTS


























I posted so many because I am trying to find the best option on this camera, I think the pics are less blurry this time. I used the 10 sec timer with the tripod. Let me know. 

Close ups


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I don't know what you have more of....platties or glosso! I love this tank. It is great to see another 55 with depth (a problem I am still struggling with this). You are getting a lot better with the pictures, too. What kind of lily is that?


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

Beautiful 55, I have one myself and know the trials of achieving depth in a 12' space. 
Well done!

Tip, turn the TV off when taking pictures


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## Phoenix-cry (Dec 25, 2008)

Man...beautiful!


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## davemonkey (Sep 21, 2008)

mott said:


> Beautiful 55, I have one myself and know the trials of achieving depth in a 12' space.
> Well done!


+1, and the moss on your driftwood looks AWESOME! You've really done a great job with this tank.

-Dave


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

sewingalot said:


> I don't know what you have more of....platties or glosso! I love this tank. It is great to see another 55 with depth (a problem I am still struggling with this). You are getting a lot better with the pictures, too. What kind of lily is that?


Probably the platys, I started out with 5 (2 male- 3 female) over a year ago. Those 5 have since died and these are their offspring. I can easily count 70 in there. There are soo many fry in the Marselia Minuta (not glosso) I have given away probably the same as I have in there over the year. There not so bad, they dont mess with the plants so. 

Thanks I really tried to take my time with the pics this time, I think I took like 55 shots at like 2 in the morning. I believe the lily is red tiger lotus, It started as 2 leaves and now it is what it is. It hasnt grown tall like I have seen some RTL though so thats why I said it might be RTL. I like it short and compact anyways so I hope it stays this way.



mott said:


> Beautiful 55, I have one myself and know the trials of achieving depth in a 12' space.
> Well done!
> 
> Tip, turn the TV off when taking pictures


Yeah I still dont think I have achieved depth in it. Especially when I see other 55gal like dewalltheway and bigstick120 55 gal. Those are really nice. 

Haha, I didnt even see the reflection of the tv. Thanks. 



Phoenix-cry said:


> Man...beautiful!


As always Thanks.



davemonkey said:


> +1, and the moss on your driftwood looks AWESOME! You've really done a great job with this tank.
> 
> -Dave


Thanks Dave. The moss exploded, I didnt even realize it until I was putting these pics up and I looked at the older pics. I may have to get rid of some of it before it breaks the DW.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

rekles75 said:


> Probably the platys, I started out with 5 (2 male- 3 female) over a year ago. Those 5 have since died and these are their offspring. I can easily count 70 in there. There are soo many fry in the Marselia Minuta (not glosso) I have given away probably the same as I have in there over the year. There not so bad, they dont mess with the plants so. . . .



 Okay, I am now officially jealous! My marselia minuta is pathetic compared to that!


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

Well I removed all of the Najas and I will be removing the Sunset hygro on the left side. I need another background plant to go there. This is behind the bare DW, Any suggestions?


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## Zack2112 (Jan 6, 2009)

What bulbs do you have in your fixture?


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## dinker (Jan 7, 2009)

I don't think the branches on the left side are doing any good to your scaping. Also the main branch in the middle is covered with moss too much, you can't even tell what's under the moss now. 

Otherwise, I see that you have a lot of success growing different plants. Congratulations!:thumbsup:


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

rekles75 said:


> Well I removed all of the Najas and I will be removing the Sunset hygro on the left side. I need another background plant to go there. This is behind the bare DW, Any suggestions?


What about a rotala sp. or Ludwigia inclinata could look pretty sweet. Looking forward to that Najas, gotta say I'm glad you took it out of your tank!:redface:


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

Zack2112 said:


> What bulbs do you have in your fixture?


Well I bought this fixture off of eBay: 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260342133428&ssPageName=ADME:B:FSEL:US:1123

And I changed out the actinics with Current 65W Dual Daaylight 6700k and 10000k. It is ok but there are still some plants I cannot grow. Like stargrass and HC., both have melted in my tank. On my next tank I will definately go with 4-5 Gleismann T5's and a workhorse ballast. 



dinker said:


> I don't think the branches on the left side are doing any good to your scaping. Also the main branch in the middle is covered with moss too much, you can't even tell what's under the moss now.
> 
> Otherwise, I see that you have a lot of success growing different plants. Congratulations!:thumbsup:


Well thank you for your comment, I added the branches on the left a while ago becuase that side was looking too plain. I actually like that side now, if anything I was thinking about changing the right side to go better witht the left. If I did it all over again I dont think I would use moss on the malaysian DW. I think that malaysian DW is too nice to get covered up with moss. I know it is a lot of moss, but what can I say, I grow it well.. If you look back at the earlier pics you will see what I started with and that was like 6 months ago. In person it looks really cool though, but it is definately overgrown. 

I have been thinking of having a big sale on christmas moss but over the last week so has about 7 other people. Everyday I go on the S&S I see someone selling xmas moss, so I just havent offer any yet. 



sewingalot said:


> What about a rotala sp. or Ludwigia inclinata could look pretty sweet. Looking forward to that Najas, gotta say I'm glad you took it out of your tank!:redface:


I think that could be a good look, I was also thinking of trying some Limno aromatica or stellatus. ( spelling is probably wrong, if so sorry) I have always liked the pink tops of these plants and have never tried to grow them in my 55gal. I have some in my 10 gal but I never get to fully enjoy them because when the get to be there loviest they are half way across the top of the surface and I have to cut them get light to the other plants. 

I am still looking for background plant ideas though, so keep them coming.

Enjoy the Najas, I didnt dislike them but I thought that their time was up in my tank. They are too delicate for that many fish.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Limno aromatica or stellatus could look sweet in your tank. Do you have an updated picture with the Najas removed? That is some healthy plants that came from your tank. I didn't think the ball of xmas moss would ever end. How much is still in your tank? Lol! Great progress, can wait to see more!


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

I will try to get a pic up soon. Not much has changed, you can barely tell that I removed any moss. I sent you a huge ball of it, and it still looks massive. As for the Najas, it is kind of bare in that spot but its because thats where I pulled the marsela minuta from also.


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## ddtran46 (Jul 8, 2008)

wow. beautiful tank!!! i love your moss


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Thought of a potential plant you could use: Alternanthera reineckii v "copper".


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## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

wow nice tank. yeah i agree the LA would definitely give you a nice look. specially if it gets all copperry at the top. 
oh and i loveee the current dual daylights, they're awesome and they make the plants +fish look great


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

I can't believe that moss is that thick from what you started with. I bet you've got at least 15-20 baseballs in there, judging from what you pulled out for me.... and that ball was thick! 

I think people have no idea how many platys are in your tank. You can't see the little ones in the pics. How many do you estimate? 100? 

Man, I was picking on your pics yesterday, but the ones on the tops of p.2 and p.3 look REALLY good. You were doing something right on that setting. I like the micro shots too. I like the look of the tank when its a little thinner like p.2, but I have to say that moss is a sight to behold and does look really cool. Of course as you said, it's a shame to cover that expensive Manzanita DW. 

Do you have a journal for your 10 and the Finnex? I thought those were pretty cool! You should throw in a few shots of the 10 and the Finnex right by each other too. I wouldn't mind working all the time if my desk looked like that!


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## rountreesj (Jun 12, 2007)

isn't it hard to scape a 12" deep tank...? I think you understand now why I opted for a 40 breader footprint...


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

I agree, a 12in depth tank is a pain to scape. But I have to say I have seen some nice ones here. Dewalltheway's now torn down tank comes to mind. He acheived depth by building a nice hold wall with rocks. ( i have since received most of his rocks from that scape, Thanks Dew) There are also others I just dont feel like looking them up, They know who they are because I have posted my visual pleasure of seeing them on their journals. Also your setup was nice Rountreesj. If you guys dont now I actually have two 55 gals the other came from Rountreesj. I am going to use the rocks I got from Dewalltheway and try something probably next month with that 55gal.


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

monkeyruler90 said:


> wow nice tank. yeah i agree the LA would definitely give you a nice look. specially if it gets all copperry at the top.
> oh and i loveee the current dual daylights, they're awesome and they make the plants +fish look great


Thanks, I finally got the plants ordered I was looking for. Fastfreddie came over and picked up the Sunset Hygro, some MM, and a ball of moss. Now once the Limnophila aromatica, Pogostemon stellatus, and the Ludwigia Cuba comes in later this week I will try something different. I hope I can pull it off. 

I also like the Dual daylights, the color is nice. Its is not really orange or too blue, but to me just the right contrast of the two. 



fastfreddie said:


> I can't believe that moss is that thick from what you started with. I bet you've got at least 15-20 baseballs in there, judging from what you pulled out for me.... and that ball was thick!
> 
> I think people have no idea how many platys are in your tank. You can't see the little ones in the pics. How many do you estimate? 100?
> 
> ...


Thanks Freddie. I am still trying to get rid of some moss, I have thinned it out considerably. What I dont like about it is that now you can see the brown spots of the moss that was covered on the bottom of the wood. I cant wait for it to color back up. 

As for the Platy's, I would say around a hundred or so. There are so many fry hiding in the MM. I also find them in my XP3 when I go to clean it every month. I didnt want to put anything on the intake because well truthfully I dont mind losing a few. As some one else on another thread said " natural selection" 

I have journals for the finnex and and the 10 gal on here some where. I will probably update them sometime next week. Not much has changed in them since the previous update, also this week I am focused more on this tank. I do enjoy working in my home office, so much to get distracted from. I have 3 tanks in there.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Expecting to see a masterpiece with the rock wall. I am sure you will come up with something great!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

When do we get an update? The plants you sent me are doing fantastic, by the way. Thanks!


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

dewalltheway said:


> Expecting to see a masterpiece with the rock wall. I am sure you will come up with something great!


I am working on something. I ordered some Aquasoil it should be here Thursday. I will be using that and the rocks I got from you along with some *Needle leaf* and *Bolbotis *to scape with. I will get another journal started for this tank. I will try and get this done this weekend. 



sewingalot said:


> When do we get an update? The plants you sent me are doing fantastic, by the way. Thanks!


I will try to update this tank soon, I have working alot lately, everyday for the last 3 weeks. I did finally get the plants I wanted for the back ground. I got some *Limnophila aromatica*, *Pogostemon stellatus 'broad leaf'*, *ludwigia arcuata*, and *Ludwigia 'Cuba'*. I also got some plants that I may not be able to grow but I wanted to try ....... *Tonina Fluviatilis*, *Rotala Sp. Mini type 1*, *Rotala Sp. Mini type 2*, and another *Limno "sp"* that guiterfish sent me. We couldnt find the proper name for it but it looks great with the Limno Aromatica and the P. Stellatus. 

I think it looks great right now. Pics to come soon.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Yeah, new plants! That sucks about the working schedule. How do you find time to breathe? The mini rotalas are great. I have a bunch of them in one of my ten gallons. Fragile at first, but they bounce back quickly. Have you had any luck with the Pogostemon? Hear it is beautiful.


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

It doesnt really suck about the work schedule. I have the type of job where usually the less I do a day the better job I am doing. If I really had to work for the full 9 hrs a day then I must be doing something wrong. But for the next 6 weekends we are doing upgrades to the system and that is time consuming so we have to do 15 hours a day weekends along with our regular work week. $$$$. I am just glad that in todays mess of an economy I am still being offered OT. But enough of that, back to what we are here for. UPPDATE Following.


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

Updates...... These were actually taken last week when I put the new plants in. They have since grown a little, but its still hard to see them in the background as they are not tall enough yet. 

I got mostly Limno Aromatica in both the back corners along with Pogostemon Stellatus Broadleaf and another Limno SP. And some Nanjenshan in that order coming from the left inward to the moss covered DW. I personally like it a lot, I have upped my light period to 8a til 6p with a noon burst from noon till 4p.

Pics










right









left









a few close ups



























Another FTS









Let me know what you think. I have now thrown my time to my other 55 gal. Look for that journal soon.

Oh and thanks Sewingalot for the plant recommendation, I didn't get the Alternanthera reineckii "copper" but I did get an Alternanthera reineckii "scarlet temple". I do like the color, Its on the left side beside the vesuveis (sp?).


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

This is fantastic! The new plants are excellent. Your picture taking is getting very good as well.


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

The variety of colors really looks great now! The MM looks even thicker than before you pulled out all that you gave me! That stuff loves your tank. It hasn't done too well for me yet, but I do have about 15-20 bright green new stems. Maybe I just need to be patient. 

Tank looks great though man!!! Looking forward to the other 55!


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

sewingalot said:


> This is fantastic! The new plants are excellent. Your picture taking is getting very good as well.


Thanks. I am still trying with my camara and pics though. I still dont think they do the tank justice. But I may be a little impartial. 



fastfreddie said:


> The variety of colors really looks great now! The MM looks even thicker than before you pulled out all that you gave me! That stuff loves your tank. It hasn't done too well for me yet, but I do have about 15-20 bright green new stems. Maybe I just need to be patient.
> 
> Tank looks great though man!!! Looking forward to the other 55!


Yeah, I really wanted more color than just the lily that is in there. I really like the way it turned out, now I just have to wait for the plants to fill in in the back. Freddie I also wanted to let you know that what I have is _Marsalia Quad not MM_. We had a discussion on it in the Plant section last week and THat was the conclusion that was made. If you are not happy with it let me know and we can work something out.

Also the other 55 has been rescape or actually scaped, the link is in my sig 55 gal #2


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

rekles75 said:


> Freddie I also wanted to let you know that what I have is _Marsalia Quad not MM_. We had a discussion on it in the Plant section last week and THat was the conclusion that was made. If you are not happy with it let me know and we can work something out.
> =


Oh dude, I am more than happy. That was a killer deal you gave me and I don't know the difference between Minuta and Quad anyway! I think it will fill in soon!

OK, going to check out the other 55 now!


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

Freddie, U DA MAN. Thats whats up. Thanks


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Rekles, looking great. How are the new plants coming along? The color of your platties really compliments the plants. Do you have a favorite plant right now? By the way, I second fastfreddie. Those are awesome MM or whatever plants. I have them in lower light and with diy co2 and they are taking off!


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

sewingalot said:


> Rekles, looking great. How are the new plants coming along? The color of your platties really compliments the plants. Do you have a favorite plant right now? By the way, I second fastfreddie. Those are awesome MM or whatever plants. I have them in lower light and with diy co2 and they are taking off!


I think deep down I really like the platties even though I talk about wanting to get rid of them all the time. They were all born and raised in this tank so they know me and they come up to the glass everytime I come around. Thats why they look like they are everywhere when I take pics. If I look at the tank from a distance where they cant see me they are all in the back of the tank looking for old food or something and all I can see are the plants. I wish I could get a pic like that. 

I dont have a favorite plant but I think the addition of the *Limnophila aromatica*, *Pogostemon stellatus 'broad leaf'*, *ludwigia arcuata*, and *Ludwigia 'Cuba'* in the background made a dramatic difference. 

We have to convince Freddie to keep with the MM or MQ I mean. I read in his journal he wants to get rid of it already for something else. I have to agree its probably the easiest foreground plant to grow. I know I have tried and failed miserably at many of them.


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

A few pics..............



FTS I was trying different settings on the camera

















Left









Right









The Lotus is taking off 









Sorry bout the window glare. I can see the tops of the background plants now but in about a month they should really be visable over the crypts. 

Whats the verdict?


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## rountreesj (Jun 12, 2007)

looks like you got a lot of fish...I like the tank too


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## starrystarstarr (Sep 6, 2006)

the tank has grown out really nice im just wondering how many platy you got in there.


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

I just say 100 now. I'm not even trying to count them. Hard to believe I started with 5. Yes it has grown out alot, I'm like TexGal, I like the jungle look.


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## soundtweakers (Oct 12, 2005)

Very nice tank.

a bit off topic about cameras, what lens are you using? I really like the color rendition. Nice and bright. I'm currently learning how to use a real camera myself and kind of being a camera nut. 

Try to block out the direct light from your tank light(a lens hood is good). I simply place my light strip directly on top of the tank without mounting legs since I have a GLASS TOP. Don't do that if you have an open top!!

Those harsh direct light will screw up your exposure, not to mention glare on the lens. BTW, a tripod is EXTREMELY helpful. You can check out my journal where the tank progress is way slower than the progress of the photo quality.


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

soundtweakers said:


> Very nice tank.
> 
> a bit off topic about cameras, what lens are you using? I really like the color rendition. Nice and bright. I'm currently learning how to use a real camera myself and kind of being a camera nut.
> 
> ...


The camera is a Kodak something or another. I am at work right know so I cant check. If you look back in this journal I believe I mentioned it. I have a couple of extra lenses and filters that I bought separate for it also. I do use a tripod and the 10 sec timer. 

Truth is I suck at taking pics I admit it claim it and dont know what to do about it. To me the whole aperture and differences in the types of lenses and filters are really confusing,not to mention the Photoshop program I bought to help fix up my bad pics. I trying to fool with that about 6 months ago. I would rather learn cold fusion technology or go to the Opera (I have no interest in either) than deal with that again alone. I have read many articles and taken the advice of many peolple on this forum as far as my pics go and I just cant get right. I have tried to usually take pics at night but since I work nights that can be a problem also. Sometimes I take my time with the pics and sometimes I dont, I have found that either way they come out like sh*t. I know and those that have seen my tank in person know that my photography skills are desperately lacking and they dont do the tank any justice. I really need picture taking 101 told to me like I am a 1st grader, very much in lamens terms as if all I know how to do is point and press the big button on top. 

I am only ranting right now and I enjoy all comments and I will try any suggestion you give me. Trust me I do want to take better pics but Its not something I am interested in and when the interest isn't there the heart isn't there and it shows in the photo. I do however want feedback on my tanks and my heart is in them and its the only reason I try so hard at taking better photos. 

If you would like to give me some pointers I will PM you with my exact make and model of my camera and all the extras I spent a couple of hundred dollars for to take better pics and maybe we can figure it out together. 

I didnt mean to come off harsh, that was not my purpose here. I just could tell you only read this page of the journal and I got into a little rant. No offense to you and I am glad you commented on my journal.

Thank You


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## Pinto (Jan 23, 2009)

Wow, nice scape.
It look much bigger then a 55g cool.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Looks great...
and...WOW, That's a ton of platies!


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## soundtweakers (Oct 12, 2005)

rekles75 said:


> The camera is a Kodak something or another. I am at work right know so I cant check. If you look back in this journal I believe I mentioned it. I have a couple of extra lenses and filters that I bought separate for it also. I do use a tripod and the 10 sec timer.
> 
> Truth is I suck at taking pics I admit it claim it and dont know what to do about it. To me the whole aperture and differences in the types of lenses and filters are really confusing,not to mention the Photoshop program I bought to help fix up my bad pics. I trying to fool with that about 6 months ago. I would rather learn cold fusion technology or go to the Opera (I have no interest in either) than deal with that again alone. I have read many articles and taken the advice of many peolple on this forum as far as my pics go and I just cant get right. I have tried to usually take pics at night but since I work nights that can be a problem also. Sometimes I take my time with the pics and sometimes I dont, I have found that either way they come out like sh*t. I know and those that have seen my tank in person know that my photography skills are desperately lacking and they dont do the tank any justice. I really need picture taking 101 told to me like I am a 1st grader, very much in lamens terms as if all I know how to do is point and press the big button on top.
> 
> ...


HARSH??? No way, dude! I live in NYC.

Honestly no offense taken. I do however want to apologize for offending you by posting a comment after only reading this page of the journal.
I suck at photography big time, my wife gave up trying to teach me years ago. The suggestions I gave you on the previous post was simply something easy to do that dramatically improved my own tank photos. What got me going was this article written by Jason Baliban. http://www.projectaquarium.com/plantedAquariumArticles_PhotographyPointAndShoot.aspx Definitely a straight forward article for non camera gearheads like us.

I love checking out other people's 55 gallon tanks. I think it has one of the hardest shape to scape due to it's dimension. I have a 55 gallon myself and could never get a scape half as nice as both of your 55 gallons.

Best regards
Billy


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

Thanks Pinto an CL

soundtweakers.... I didnt take offense to what you said, I aint no soft brother. What you said wasn't anything bad at all. I can take any criticism. I do sometimes try to take my time and other times I just say "F" it, lemme just get some pics up. As for the article, Yep read that one too. It is probably one of the easiest reads I have found on photography. I even tried to go to Photography forums, they aren't very newbie friendly though. 

I do the same thing. I look at every 55gal I see posted, Its like a special club we are in because I notice the majority of folks that post here have or had 55 gal also. It is a terrible tank to try and scape, but hey what you gonna do? We have them now, you gotta work with what you got.


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## soundtweakers (Oct 12, 2005)

rekles75 said:


> Thanks Pinto an CL
> 
> soundtweakers.... I didnt take offense to what you said, I aint no soft brother. What you said wasn't anything bad at all. I can take any criticism. I do sometimes try to take my time and other times I just say "F" it, lemme just get some pics up. As for the article, Yep read that one too. It is probably one of the easiest reads I have found on photography. I even tried to go to Photography forums, they aren't very newbie friendly though.
> 
> I do the same thing. I look at every 55gal I see posted, Its like a special club we are in because I notice the majority of folks that post here have or had 55 gal also. It is a terrible tank to try and scape, but hey what you gonna do? We have them now, you gotta work with what you got.


Yup, you're totally right about those photography forums. Here is a pretty cool photography forum that I think you should really check out, it's run by fish tank people. http://aquatic-photography.com/

There should be a 55 gallon tank owner's club, for real.:thumbsup:


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

Thanks for that link, I dont think I went to that forum yet. I will definately check it out.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

The second picture you took is really amazing. I love how the platties are in group in the center of it. I agree with you with platties. They are fun and entertaining even if they are messy fish. I love this tank.


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

soundtweakers...... I want to thank you again for the Photography link. I have been reading the forum alot lately, Hopefully I can take what I have read and turn it into better pics. I am still trying to work this picture taking thing out.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

rekles75 said:


> Right
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Is that a gourami fish in the tank? I thought they eat plants, for so I doing so at a pet store.


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

Hilde said:


> Is that a gourami fish in the tank? I thought they eat plants, for so I doing so at a pet store.


I dont understand the underlined statement.

I have not had a problem with them eating any plants. If there are two males or a male and a female about to spawn he will take plants and make a bubble nest at the surface of the tank. 

I did have 2 males and I had to separate them. Once I did that they have not made bubble nest anymore. I remember he tore my blyxa to pieces making nests, but he would also take all the hair algae he could find.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Rekles, 

How are the fish doing? I am amazed at how quickly the platties start to breed once they get old enough.


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

Oh yes, they are worse than rabbits, But they are doing well. I found a LFS that will take them for store credit. Well $0.25 ea cash or $0.50 Store credit, Only thing is he will only take a dozen a month. Oh well its a start.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

That's great. I have had mine on Craigs List and still no replies. I actually just set up two twenties to move over some fish soon.


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

Alright, I know this tank is about to be minus one light fixture. Let's see or at least hear about the new plan!


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

Nothing really going on with this tank. I bought a set of t-5HO lights from catalina lighting for a 75 gal I may or may not be getting. In the meantime I put it on this tank to get better growth on my limno aromatica and pogostemon stellatus. Either they will grow or I will grow some interesting algae with all that light. I will see how it goes.


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