# Silent Running's 100 Gallon - Updated 2/24/07 - (56K Caution)



## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

I'm going to use this thread to chronicle the setup of my latest venture. It's a 100 gallon planted tank that was up and running as a reef tank until the beginning of October 2004. I switched to a planted tank for a variety of reasons, the main one being the beauty. The reef was nice, but it was just too harsh of an environment for my liking. The tank's in my living room and is the first thing you see when you come in the front door. I've already taken a lot of cat naps on the couch that's nearby as the utter silence of the tank (a brand new experience for me) coupled with the relaxing environment inside is more than any insomniac could bare .

The tank itself is a SeaClear 60x18x20. It's lit by 4 GE Daylight Ultra NO bulbs (6500K) driven off of IceCap VHO ballasts. I'm estimating roughly 2.5 wpg under this configuration and I may add another bulb or 2 as time goes on depending on how things go. The tank is filtered by an Eheim 2028. I'm running pressurized CO2 via a DIY bubble counter and in-line reactor. The substrate is 100% Eco-Complete

So far, it's a mixed bag of plants as I want to have several varieties of fast growers in there initially and also to see what does well in my tank. My theme for the fish is heading towards "one large tank, many small fish". I've got a school of silver tips in there now, a few panda corys, 7 otocinclus and a few kuhli loaches. I'm thinking the largest fish that will go in there will be no larger than a dwarf gourami.

Wow, sorry for being longwinded, enjoy, and please provide me with any constructive criticism as this is my first serious attempt at a planted tank. I'll shutup now and post a picture or 2, or 5 .

The tank is ready to be filled:









Here's a full tank shot as of 11/10/2004:









Left side:









Right side:









The CO2 system:


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Good looking start so far. Man, talk about some nice looking wood you have there. I can't find anything that looks like that around here...

Keep us updated. All these tank logs that have been popping up are awesome. roud:


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Hey thanks Eric. I'm hoping it fills in nicely and that I'm able to get the hang of aquascaping. Thanks to everyone for the help thus far and in particular to those who have kindly sent me plants. I really appreciate it!

Paul

ps. got the driftwood on ebay...


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## BlueRam (Sep 21, 2004)

Nice tank! I especially like the silvertip entering 'warp speed' on the right.

You might want to throw a chain or other restraint around the CO2 bottle. I hear they ruin regulators when they tip. You might also feed a few algae wafers for the ottos until there is some work for them to do.


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## casadeskunk_m (Apr 11, 2004)

I second the comments on the driftwood roud: If you don't mnd me asking how much did it cost you?


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Thanks for the nice words. Thanks again BlueRam for your personal contributions to the tank! So far, they look like they're doing well and growing. And yes, those silvertips can really move! I've tried to get some clear shots of them, but my photography skills (or lack thereof) are no match for their speed 

The driftwood (there are 3 pieces in there) from left to right were $26, $4 and $8.50.


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## MentaldisordeR (Sep 30, 2004)

wow thats a very nice tank you got there....both the tank and the stand....wow thos 2 pieces of drift wood are awesome cant wait to see it when everything grows in roud:


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## pufferfreak (Oct 19, 2003)

I love the look, when the plants start growing your going to have a jungle on your hands! Great tank!


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## Georgiadawgger (Apr 23, 2004)

roud: Lookin' good Paul! With pressurized, give it a bit of time and you'll be giving cuttings away too! You might want to strap down that CO2 tank somehow...my only suggestion. The stand and tank look great. One of these days I may be able to afford one like that!!


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## sn8k (May 24, 2004)

Great start - it's certainly going to look awesome as the tank matures roud: . The driftwood you selected is quite unique and are really exceptional pieces. Best of luck - looking forward to the updates :icon_bigg


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Thanks again for the encouragement folks! I'm definitely enjoying watching it take shape and am holding my breath waiting for the first bump in the road. So far, though, everything seems to be going well (knock on driftwood ). I've added a few more plants and fish since the original post, so here's an updated shot as of this evening...

ps. I've got the CO2 strapped in place now


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

It's starting to fill in if you compare the before and after pics. Nice, considering that it's only been a week.


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

*11/20/2004 Update*

Here's an updated shot as of tonight. The rotala, bacopa (both behind the large driftwood) and limnophila on the left are really starting to take off as is the hornwort in the middle. There's some sunset hygro in the back left as well that's starting to go. I can't figure out why the hygro in the right foreground hasn't done anything yet.?. Anyway, thanks for looking and again, any input is appreciated...


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Here's an update as of 11/28 (3 weeks in). Things are coming along nicely thus far. I'm looking for input as to what to do with the right side of the tank.

Full tank:









Left Side:









Right Side (HELP! ):


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## BlueRam (Sep 21, 2004)

Silent Running

Would you like to try some crypts? I have some to trade.


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## aquarium boy (Jul 28, 2004)

:eek5: is all i can say :eek5:


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Thanks ab 

BlueRam, I'd definitely be into trying some crypts. What have you got, and what would you like to trade for them? If you'd like to swing by sometime, let me know, or I'd be happy to head down your way as well if it's easier for you.


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

*12/19/04 Update*

Well, after a couple week struggle with green water, the tank is nearly clear. I took the opportunity to assess where the plants were growing and decided to make a first run of the aquascaping. The tank has been setup for 6 weeks as of today. Here are the latest pictures, thanks for looking:

First of all, the green water I was faced with a week ago:









Full tank:









A view of the left side:









And here's the right side:


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## fedge (Mar 4, 2004)

what you use to get rid of that GW.... diatom filter. I had similar problems with one of my tanks and it ran with GW for over...well about 3 months.. filter and then re-filter about every 5-10 days...

I found the best diatom powder is that dirty looking junk they use for swiming pools... works better than the stuff "designed" for aquariums.

you know what I think about the layout of your tank.. it is like some of mine.. not much thinking or planning...and things just grow in clumps or areas. What you should do is sit down and really look at the plants.. what shapes seem to compliment each other.. and what colors do the same. do you want to mix one species with another or what...make a group of anubias with hornwort intretwined in (a nightmare to prune).. or maybe rotala indica. 

I found that rosefolia (rubin red sword i think is other name..) is a great contrasting plant.. that compliments ludwigia repens in color , shape, and size.. great transistion.. make one part red and then make transistion colors to the greener areas.

umm... well if you dont understand what i mean just look at the award wining planted tanks.. they usually have transitional color variations... one red plant next to orange/red and then green so that it is a sometimes stark and then sometimes gradual gradaiton of change. I would try to hard to grow slow growing plants...ones with real contrast in leaf shape..The left side of tank looks nice but that cabomba needs to be moved back a tad and something to "hold" the forground put in its place.. like anubias or something that will not grow tall...about 3-5" no more. just pull out the front ones... 

Rosefolia or a similar plant with larger sword leaves(spiked leaves maybe) that gets deep red and pink would look great as a center plant..between the rotala bunches..


For the right side....
I would NOT cover up the character of the log... put more money wort or carolina in that area but BEHIND the log more...just to fill in voids. 

THIS IS ALL IMO... and I would do these changes SLOOOWWWLY... its ok to add more plants but never take them out...maybe you can wait a month and use your trimings to spawn the fill-in areas.


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## BlueRam (Sep 21, 2004)

Paul:

Doh! I did not see your 12-2 post. Sorry. I do have some cool stuff to trade though. Here are some pictures to make up for my lameness. The red plant is recent and I can dig out the name if need be. The lily has been in the tank forever so when I moved the wood around I was surprised to find 5 plantlets. And my sump overrunith. I have two tanks of anubius that I pulled out of the big tank along with lots of crypts etc. PM me <so that I get it> and we can work out a trade. So how did you clear up the green water?


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

fedge, thanks for the input. This is definitely a "first run" on the aquascaping, so I appreciate your thoughts. I have a red melon sword growing off center in front of the ludwigia and am interested to see what it looks like when the submersed growth appears. The left plant in the front is actually Limnophila and my wife loves the placement, so I may have a fight on my hands if I try and move that . I brought up the same issues of "it needs to be further back." but she wanted no part of it . Maybe I'll sneak it back a little to see if she notices.

BlueRam, no worries . I'll drop you a PM...

As far as the GW goes, I ran a borrowed diatom filter for awhile, and basically tried to wait it out. I grew uneasy, though, when the water started looking "thick", so I started a series of water changes (50% every other day). That coupled with the 18w UV my wife got me for my birthday (see, I've got to listen to her when it comes to plant placement ), cleared it up in relatively short order.

Thanks again.
Paul


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Picked up 7 of these little guys tonight. They add a nice contrast to the silver tips in there.


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## fedge (Mar 4, 2004)

The main thing is density.. once it all fills in it will look better.. some parts will look wrong though and it may be hard to keep it right...(something i run into a lot).

If the plants "look" good and keep your eye "interested" then the placement is right.. look at the tank up close.. far away..etc.. look at the "shape" of the plants and take notice at how your eye or gaze moves around.. watch the fish.. do they like this plant and that plant spacing or ..etc. The fish will tell you things also.(that is unless they see you and already know you as food provider).

The biggest thing is if it looks good to you then it is good.


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Yeah, fedge, I think I've decided to be content with the setup for now and just see what happens over the next several weeks. I'm sure that'll give me a better idea of where it's headed. I am pretty happy with it thus far, though. Today is the 7 week date since setup. Here's a progression I put together since the beginning (from day 1 through today). Sorry for the grainy pic, but I didn't want to be too much of a bandwidth hog. This should give you an idea of the growth, though. It's starting to look like a jungle in there .


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

Very nice!

I love the look of depth you have achieved! *Please*, be a bandwith hog and post another picture!

Mike


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Love the time-lapse photo collage. The large piece of driftwood reminds me of the floating cloud city in the Empire Strikes Back. Heck-of-a-job getting the baby to stand up like that roud:.


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## FISA (Dec 3, 2004)

Silent running...I love your tank so far!

cant wait to see it once the foreground has filled in..


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## scalare altum (Apr 5, 2004)

Very nice, I love the way you added a time line of the process. Well done :thumbsup:

-Joel


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Hey, thanks all, I really appreciate it!

Mike, thanks for the compliment, and with your blessing, I'll turn into a bandwidth hog as the tank progresses . 

Unirdna (great name by the way ), that big piece was a bit of a pain in the you know what to get in there that way. It originally wanted to float, so it's now screwed to 2 pieces of slate. I'm hoping it stays put.

FISA, you and I are looking forward to the same thing . I've got E. tenellus, glosso and a lilaeopsis in there as various foregrounds. I've also got H. micranthemoides on the far right which is staying nice and low on its own. I'm waiting to see how they all develop together.

Thanks Joel, I like the time progression too. It makes for easier reference.


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

I figured it was time for an update. I've rearranged the left side by moving back the field of Limnophila and removing the sprite. I've replaced it with what will hopefully be a framing field of H. micranthemoides. Here are a couple of shots taken tonight. The first is a full tank shot and the second is the right side...


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## depthC (Oct 9, 2003)

Wow, youve got a great looking tank. Keep up the good work.


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Thanks depthC 

Here's a monthly update. The tank was really turning into a jungle as you'll see in the first picture. Since these shots were taken (Thursday), I've done a huge pruning (yesterday). I'll update with more pictures of the new (and hopefully, ultimately improved ) look when things grow in a bit. I pulled the glosso and lilaeopsis from the front, completely removed the limnophila from the left side and relocated some of it to the back right. I also trimmed back a lot of the fast growing stem plants significantly. Anyhow, here are the before pics. I'll update the after pics soon.




























Here's one looking through the right side and down the length of the tank:


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## John P. (Apr 10, 2004)

Lookin' great! 

I really like those Silver-Tipped Tetras. I had some for about an hour before I took them back to my LFS. They went ballistic on snail eggs (good) but also on Cherry Shrimp (bad). I've never seen a tetra so "ready to roll" as those things when I released them into my tank. They seem to be tough as nails. My Cardinals needed two days to acclimatize, while the STTs needed about 2 minutes, LOL.


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## Urkevitz (Jan 12, 2004)

Very lush looking tank, I like the large groups of plants they give the tank a natural look. I really like the plant on the right side, the way it flows toward the center of the tank. Is it a hygro species?


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Hey thanks!

I really haven't had too many problems with the silver tips. They are pretty feisty and scrappy, but they pretty much contain it within their species. I've got 3 dozen of them in there, so maybe that's why I haven't had any problems. I agree, they did get acclimated quickly .

Urk, the plant on the right that I think you're talking about is Hygrophila polysperma 'ceylon'. It's a really fast grower and I like the way it cascades too (or, used to cascade at this point :tongue: ).


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## Hop (Mar 27, 2004)

Wow that's looking fantastic  I had forgot about your tank util tonight. It's doing great. How do you get your


> jungle


 so well managable.... Again, very impressive!


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Thanks Hop!

I don't know if I'd classify the jungle as manageable, though . Things really started getting out of control - runners everywhere, plants encroaching on one another and overall unruly behavior and out of control growth. So, I went wild with the scheers yesterday. I'm a little worried right now, but I keep telling myself, it's like a really short haircut, it'll grow back :tongue: .


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## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

I LOVE how you've planted those vals INSIDE the micranthemum! That's ingenius!! I might have to bite your idea. :icon_redf 

Anyway, everything is looking gorgeous! I'd like to see you develope the mid-ground more though. Except for the right side midground, because I've already said, that micrathemum/val combo is stunning. :icon_bigg

FYI, that red plant in the foreground (left) is a bit distracting, I find it hard to see the beautiful vitality of the rest of your foreground plants when my eyes go straight to that one stem. It's because its red contrasts so heavily with the glosso/micranthemums.

I must say though, EVERYTHING has filled in stunningly!


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## depthC (Oct 9, 2003)

Everything sure did fill in nicely, looks very nice. But you chopped the forest  , are you gunna share the new hair cut or wear a hat. :icon_bigg 



greenmiddlefinger said:


> FYI, that red plant in the foreground (left) is a bit distracting, I find it hard to see the beautiful vitality of the rest of your foreground plants when my eyes go straight to that one stem. It's because its red contrasts so heavily with the glosso/micranthemums.QUOTE]
> 
> Id agree, the red plant there is distracting. Maybe move it, i dont know where it will go good but it a bit distracting.
> 
> Andrew


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Hey, thanks guys.

I totally agree about that Alternanthera. I haven't been able to find a spot for it and I think it may be too red for my tastes. It'll probably be pulled next time I get in there. Glad you like the val section on the right. That's one of my favorite spots in the tank too.

depthC, I hated to chop the forest, but it really was getting out of control in there. I'm going to wear a hat for just a few more days .

What would you suggest for the mid-ground? This is my first full blown planted tank and I'm having some troubles coming up with ideas for some of the tank.

Thanks again for the nice feedback and candid opinions, I really appreciate it!
Paul


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## m.lemay (Jul 28, 2002)

Wheres the new pics. I wanna see !

Marcel


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## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

> What would you suggest for the mid-ground? This is my first full blown planted tank and I'm having some troubles coming up with ideas for some of the tank.


You have strong vertical element in this tank's left side, so greater depth can be achieved by creating some horizontal "lines" in the mid ground. In other words, creating thick lines of plants that are bigger than the foregroud plants but shorter than the back ground ones in the mid ground. These lines will be strongest with subtle colors and leaf-shapes different from the background. In other words browh-dark green plants that are not stem plants. 

For instance, one line could be created by attaching anubias or ferns to he horizontal ledge of wood that emerges from behind the cabomba (not sure if it is cabomba, the green feathery stem plant on the left side anyway).

Another line could be created by planting crypts or anubias in front of that cabomba. Keep in mind that a "line" isn't necessarily a LINE, it could be thicker at certain parts, for instance being thicker on the left and thinner on the right, so that the center mid ground has more open space.

edit--> Ooh!! Just thought of something, a taller sagiteria like sagiteria natans might also work.


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

OK, fine, I'll take the hat off, but only for you guys .

Thanks for the tips on the mid-ground. As it turns out, when I removed the limnophila from the left, it revealed the java ferns that I had attached to the driftwood when I first set it up. I also planted some Proserpinaca palustris "Cuba" in front of that driftwood as a slow growing, interesting looking plant.

In the front center where the glosso mat used to be, I'm going to plant a bunch of Crypt. parva to try and make a foreground of sorts. We'll see how it goes. Anyway, enough babbling, time to own up and show a couple of pics  (I still haven't pulled the alternanthera, but I will).










Left side:


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Two week update. The rotala has grown back in nicely on the left side, and I'm really liking the Limnophila in the back right corner rather than up front. I'm able to see into the tank much better and am able to enjoy the driftwood. I added 40 C. parva plants (great plants from Lowcoaster BTW) front and center to hopefully create a foreground in time. Thanks again for looking and any comments or suggestions are welcome .










Some of the C. parva:









The Hygrophila polysperma ceylon is starting to recover from the butchering I gave a couple of weeks ago :icon_redf:


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## PJAN (Feb 18, 2005)

Very nice, Paul. It looks very promising!

Gr. PJAN


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## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

How about some updates?


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Sure thing 

The tank's been chuggin' along and growth has been really good. It's been about 4.5 months since setup and I'm very happy with it thus far. I've been maintaining 10:1 NO3O4 and dose 4ml Plantex CSM+B and 2ml Flourish Iron every other day. The algae on the glass is at a minimum and I've only been having to clean the glass once a week now. Here are some shots I took last night.

Full tank:









Left side:









Right side:


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## e.lark (Feb 2, 2005)

Looks great, I love the look of the Hemianthus micranthemoides grown with the vals.


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## Anthony (Jan 11, 2005)

Nice l. repens. I wish mine would get that color. Mine stays green. :icon_frow


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Thanks guys!

Ernest, I really like that section of the tank as well. I recently planted some Hygrophila polysperma "ceylon" behind that section, so we'll see how that looks as a backdrop. I pulled most of the Limnophila sessiliflora as it was starting to take over.

Anthony, that's actually L. glandulosa. I ended up pulling the repens and replaced it with the glandulosa. I love the color of it as well. It also doesn't seem to get as bushy as the repens.


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## jeffboyarrdee (Aug 25, 2004)

i have a quick question...

how do u get ur hermanthium micanthramoids, i dont kno how to spell it, ur foreground... how do u get it all bunched up and short, because when i grew it, iti was always tall and more like a big bush...
and i would like to do what u did in ur tank.


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

I have 3.2 wpg over the tank. I'm assuming it has something to do with that, but I'm not sure as I've never grown it in other lighting conditions. I do have to trim it vertically about once a month or so - including shaping the patch on the left side of the tank. You can see where it's mixed into the vals that it does grow up in places. Overall, though, it seems to like spreading horizontally more than vertically.


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## Anthony (Jan 11, 2005)

My gladulosa doesn't look like that.


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## jeffboyarrdee (Aug 25, 2004)

some people say the macanthramoids grow horizontally if u plant them when they are short and tend to send runners instead of growing up high...i was just wondering if that is what u did as well...


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## BSS (Sep 24, 2004)

Nice lookin' tank. That third shot is especially sweet!

Brian.


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## whitepine (Apr 13, 2004)

How about an update on your tank.

Cheers, Whitepine


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## BlueRam (Sep 21, 2004)

Two calls for an update!


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## Thanks (Oct 9, 2004)

make that 3.


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## Thanks (Oct 9, 2004)

and a half.


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## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

and add a forth to that list too.. roud:


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## magicmagni (Nov 7, 2003)

Really nice. My favorite is the left center where you can see the driftwood. I actually like that there is no foreground plant there as it shows it off better. It's kind of mysterious like an entrance to a cave or something. The effect of your foreground plant growing in with the vals looks great too.


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Thanks for the nice words and requests for updates. I've been super busy lately starting a new job and trying to keep everything in check. My tank time has definitely diminished since I've gone back to work . Anyhow, I'll be celebrating 6 months of tank setup next week (on May 7th). Here are a couple of updated shots. Let me know what you think!

This is an image of the right side of the tank taken through the left side of the tank and reflected off of the front glass (if that makes any sense)...









Here's the center section - I'm really happy with how this is growing in. I agree magicmagni, I too like the exposed wood and the feeling of a cave entrance...









And here's the same section panned back a little...


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## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Wow, thats really nice! I too agree about the wood, it is good to be able to see some..
One thing though, is it just me or is the water not as clear as it is in the other pics?


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Thanks Lorenco, it's been fun watching it grow in.

The water is crystal clear, although, I can see what you're talking about in the pictures. Most of what you see in the top picture is a reflected image of plants (reflected off of the front glass) and I can see where that's hazing some of the image. The middle picture is the best indicator of the water clarity and the bottom picture is, well, just a plain bad shot on my part .


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## whitepine (Apr 13, 2004)

Paul,

The tank is looking great. I really like the middle section. Keep up the awesome job with your tank.. and let me know when your are going to do some pruning!

Cheers, Whitepine


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Thanks whitepine, I'll let you know next time I cut .


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Well, tomorrow marks the six month anniversary and I finally figured out how to take a full tank shot. A HUGE thank you goes out to all of you here who have helped make this a very enjoyable time. Here's what the tank looks like tonight...


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Paul,

For a mere 6 months, this is an awesome tank. Yours is the only tank of the forum that I know of that uses pearlgrass as a foreground - and very well done, I might add . Do you find yourself having to cut that stuff down often?


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## Dan Martin (Apr 21, 2005)

Wow! You should be very proud of that tank. I know I would be.


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## joan (Apr 25, 2005)

Wow! roud: That is what I hope to have some day. Right now I just have a little 20G that is starting out, but I hope to put together a 75G or therebouts over the next year. Yours is certainly a major inspiration. Nicely done!


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## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

:drool: me like...:drool:

The E. Stellata in the middle looks a bit yellow..  Mine is a lot greener..


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## timr (Mar 23, 2005)

Beautiful tank, i love it! roud: everything blends well together

One question though....the C. Parva didn't work out?


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

The tank looks awesome Paul... what a beautiful scape it turned out to be. I am giving it 9 and a half stars... roud: 
I like the way the wood divides and plateaus the left side ! Going with that and just as a thought... I personally think the light green and leaf shape of the small Vals or Apono's (?) kind of throw off that left corner. A hunk of that nice dark green bolbitus you have growing in its place might blend that corner right in... It could be set it up high to let the fronds grow up and drape to hide the equiptment and create a depth effect in the corner. 
Or you could even continue the Rotala down like a hillside. Those plants you have there now just pull your eyes to them... 

Beautiful tank Paul... only the left corner keeps a 10 Star rating at bay... it must be nice daydreaming in front of that tank at night ! :icon_bigg 

Thanks for the great photo !


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Thanks everybody!

uni, I find that I have to give the micranthemoides a good trim once every month or so. It definitely makes a bit of a mess of the water's surface and takes a little while to net it all out, but I really like the plant as a foreground.

Thanks Dan and joan, I appreciate the nice words and encouragement!

Lorenco, I've noticed that too and I'm not sure what the deal is. I'm thinking it could be my lighting isn't bringing out all of the color, or could it be that I'm running UV 24/7? Any ideas on that? I keep my NO3 at 10, PO4 at 1, K at about 15 and I dose CSM+B and FE 3 times a week - maybe I should try upping the micros? CO2 runs upper 20's.

Thanks Tim. It wasn't so much that the parva didn't work out, it was that the H. micranthemoides really worked out well  I ended up moving the crypts to my son's 6 gallon Eclipse 

Thanks Buck, and you know, I really couldn't agree with you more about the left side. I've been struggling with that section for what seems to be the entire existence of the tank. Right now, I've got an Apon back there and 4 C. helferi. I don't think either one of them has enough "clout" to fill in the area on their own. I like the bolbitis idea a lot. Has anyone ever attached bolbitis to their canister intake tube, or is it dependent on wood for a nutrient source? Would it cause harm (i.e., root penetration) to the plastic of the tube? I may have to consider giving that a shot. And yes, my wife gives me a hard time about spending too much "shut eye time" in front of the tank. Seems it's impossible to lay on the couch that's in front of the tank and not be asleep within 5 minutes of looking at it .

Thanks for all of the input folks!!!

Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there as well.


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## g8wayg8r (Dec 24, 2003)

I wouldn't mess around too much with your fertilizer schedule if you are happy with the plant growth. What's the point? Would more growth add anything to your aquascape? If you have a deficiency problem I sure can't see it in your photos. Kaizan. 

I would be please to have and maintain such a nice set-up roud:


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Thanks Andrew I appreciate it  

I don't have plans to mess with the ferts at this point. I agree, stuff's growing well and I don't need to "stir the pot" .


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## Mermaid (May 9, 2005)

That tank is an inspiration! Especially when you look at the beginning pics. 
I can only dream.

One day....


Paulette


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## Betowess (Dec 9, 2004)

Thats a wonderful tank. I love the pearlgrass and the bogwood cave in the middle and just about everything! bob


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## StUk_In_AfRiKa (Jan 30, 2005)

Wooooooooooooooooooooow :icon_idea


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Thanks you three .

I'm going to have to do a pretty major pruning this week as it's starting to get overgrown in there. I always hate it when you have to prune the stuff that's growing really well. Here's to crossing my fingers that it'll come back again .


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## cprroy73 (Nov 10, 2004)

I can't believe I have not seen your tank before, inspirational. Very nice.
I have some pearlweed that I just planted, how long does it take to get going? Is it a very fast grower?


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

> Has anyone ever attached bolbitis to their canister intake tube, or is it dependent on wood for a nutrient source? Would it cause harm (i.e., root penetration) to the plastic of the tube?


Paul , the bolbitus will grow without being attached to "anything". It takes 100% of its nutrients from the water column. Putting it to the tube would actually be a good thing because it will also be guaranteed good water flow which they love. roud:


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Well, here are a couple of updated shots as of tonight. As you can see, I've removed the H. micranthemoides from the right side of the tank. It was proving to be a real chore as far as maintenance goes. I really liked the look of it intertwined with the vals, but trimming was becoming a giant PITA. Also, I put some pennywort over on the left hand side to try and mask the equipment... I haven't had too much time to mess with it this summer (BUSY!!!!!), but I've been keeping up on water changes and ferts. I've got my eye on a couple of wild green discus at the LFS. I've got nearly enough store credit to pull the trigger.  Here's what it looks like tonight...










Isometric view from the right...


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## magicmagni (Nov 7, 2003)

Looking nice. IMO that tank would look much nicer with a school of Altum Angels, I think the larger Discus would be too big for the tank purely speaking from a cosmetic point of view.


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## Jdinh04 (Mar 15, 2004)

I would move vals to the back, they don't look right in the mid/foreground. What kind of plant is that in the foreground on the left side?


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Yeah, the right side of the tank has gotten out of control lately and I need to find/make the time to get in there and trim up some stuff. It's not so much moving them to the back, just clearing out the ones that are more in the forefront. It's a pretty thick growth of the vals in there at this point. The foreground on the left is H. micranthemoides. I need to find a new foreground for the right side. Any suggestions?

I've been going back and forth on the altum vs. discus question and I'm still not quite sure which direction to go. Would altums turn my school of silver tips in to snacks? I love the looks of the altums and agree that ~5 of them would like really nice in there.


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## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

So whats happening with the tank latley Paul?


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Funny you sould ask. Just last week, I pulled all of the val and H. micranthemoides. I'm in the process of re-tooling the tank to give it a little different look. I'm going to go with a lilaeopsis foreground, which I put in a few days ago. I plan on also getting a few crypts in there as well. This change all happened just a day or two before my ballast decided to give out. So, right now, the tank is running on NO lighting only and in a holding pattern until I get my IceCap 660 back from repairs. I'm expecting to have it back by this coming Friday. I'll post some updated shots soon.


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## rygar126 (Oct 16, 2004)

hey silent...how did you get your pearlweed to grow so low? did you just trim it a lot?


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## jamesbrokman10 (Nov 24, 2005)

Looks good keep up the good work roud: roud:


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Well, here's an update on the tank many months later 

My life has gotten really busy and I simply ran out of time to do the daily and weekly tasks associated with a high light, CO2, daily fertilized system. So, a couple of months ago after battling algae for awhile, I decided to switch the whole system to a low(er) light, non CO2, non fertilized, monthly water change system. So far (about a month), so good. Here are some recent pics...


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## BlueRam (Sep 21, 2004)

Good to see you back on the boards Paul. Tank looks great! Always simple, never overcrowded.


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## mrbelvedere (Nov 15, 2005)

Wow, I haven't seen you in ages. Nice job on the low light.


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Hey thanks guys. Nice to be back


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## shuks (Jul 10, 2005)

wow... Stunning tank. I cant believe its low tech!


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Thanks! The jury is still out on the low tech aspect. I think if it looks good after 6 months, I can start breathing a little easier. It definitely limits your plant choices and I've noticed a bit of a problem with the H. micranthemoides, but I'm going to let it ride and see what happens.


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## Betowess (Dec 9, 2004)

Terrific as usual. It seems middle light tanks are the way to go, unless you're retired with lots of time to mess with them. Curious, why no CO2. Couldn't you still put in a little just for a shot of plant java? So the fish food/goop. is the fert? 
I like it!! (nice Ninja post too...LOL)


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## Y0uH0 (Dec 19, 2005)

it's really amazing to see how your tank has evolved over time..will be anticipating your latest shots of the tank. great job done btw=)


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Hey everybody,

Just wanted to post an update on my tank. I let it run at low light/tech for about 6 months with mixed results at best. Many of my plants died off and only the low light species survived. I was also starting to see some algae return. Then one day, I did what undid me. I looked at an old picture of the tank when it was at its best . This was back at the beginning of December. So, since then, I've switched back to a high light system, basically back to where I was before the switch. It took a few weeks, but the tank has started to turn back around. I'm still battling algae, but it seems to be isolated to the lower depths of the tank and I'm having a hard time getting a foreground going (I've got HC and glosso in there now and I'm trying to see which one will take off). Thanks for looking! 

Here's what the tank looked like at the end of November (~6 months after switching to low light):










And here are a few shots as of tonight:


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

I know I'm suppose to be looking at the plants, but WOW, that is a trophy red-tail shark. He's awesome! 

Hopefully, the higher light will "bushy" up your plants. They all look like they are stretching their necks to the light. Open that big tank back up - Bunch up some of those stands and set them back a bit.


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Hehe, that's Gully, the ruler of the tank. Here's a pic of when I got him 2 years ago. He wasn't much bigger than a large piece of the substrate.










Yeah, something is still definitely amiss in the tank. I'm not getting the kind of growth that I once had. All other things equal, there is one difference in the lighting from my original setup. I still have 2 GE Daylight Ultra bulbs running off of an IceCap VHO ballast. The other 2 bulbs are a 60" 140 watt and a 36" 95 watt URI VHO AquaSun bulbs. Anybody have experience with those bulbs? I really like the color that they add to the tank, but I'm concerned that they're not as intense as the other bulbs and are leaving my ground cover and lower levels of the plants without enough light. Hmmmmmm.... maybe I'll add a 3rd Daylight Ultra and see what happens.


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

And here's the beast as of tonight


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## mickeyirish (Feb 8, 2007)

wow. that red tail is amazing. makes me want to get one for my new tank!


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## kzr750r1 (Jun 8, 2004)

I feel ya on being too busy. Sneaking in a WC is my latest challenge. Let alone trimming, gonna attempt a tear down/cleanup today. I like the wild look, but some of those stems could be trimmed down a bit focusing some more light on the foreground. 

Sweet redtail!


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