# First Timer: My Collection of Low-Tech Dirt Tanks..New Picture Update 3/4 (56k)



## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

So after stalking the forums and doing some research on the matter, I decided to take the plunge and start my own dirt tank. I have to thank my friend for the final push when he gave me a 30gal tank a few day ago :thumbsup: . Also wkndracer's thread about his 55gallon low tech added to it. (found here) 

I decided to use Miracle-Gro Organic Potting Soil and Estes' gravel, approximately an inch of each. Started the hardscaping with assorted river rocks collected from the St Lawrence and topped it off with some duckweed acquired from a friend (yes I'm aware that many people consider duckweed an aquatic plague lol). 
The filter is an AquaClear 200 (20-50gal), which was previously run on my old 20gal so was already seeded with beneficial bacteria. I added on the filter without disturbing the filter media in hopes of avoiding extreme cycles *crossing my fingers* . Since its a HOB I had to modify it a little so it wasn't tossing duckweed all over. I just cut down a 2L coke bottle and boxed it around the output so the waterfall didn't catch all the floaters. I also put a sponge around the intake pipe to act as a prefilter to catch any stragglers.










I plan getting 2 or 3 few shop lights from Lowes like these here and hanging them over the tank with daylight spiral CFLs. Right now there is just a single Hagen Power-Glo over the tank to provide lighting (plastic plants don't require much and my live plants wont be arriving for a few more days. 

Yes I will be getting a background (probably just plain black, and looking into purchasing some driftwood (just don't want to pay an arm and a leg for it). I may even add some more rocks.. It's a work in progress.

So what do you think? Any advice is greatly appreciated :help:


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## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

Looks good! I think you have done everything properly with the tank. Can't wait to see some more plants in there, lol! :smile:

Only thing I can think of that would be neat is with those lamps. I saw someone on here who painted a lamp like that, then kinda hung it above the tank. It looked really cool. I do something neat like that, then stick a couple 6500k daylight bulbs CFLs there.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Are any of the plants/decorations from your pre-established tank? If not try not to feed too much for the next few days to avoid a mini-cycle!

Good luck with your tank!


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Great start! I like the rock placement.

The red plant will need some iron to maintain its color. Brightwell aquatics Florin-FE is the best source. Found it to be the cheapest here.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

Daximus said:


> Looks good! I think you have done everything properly with the tank. Can't wait to see some more plants in there, lol!


Yeah I can't wait to really get it going. I'm so excited to get the plants, even have a few pieces of driftwood on the way, also looking at a Manzanita branch or two to really set it off.



diwu13 said:


> Are any of the plants/decorations from your pre-established tank?


The plants and large decorative rocks are from the old tank. That was set up for almost 2 years so plenty of time for bacteria to form on them. I am taking it easy though, no need to take any risks especially since the pictus cat (almost 7inches long now) has been around for nearly 3 years already. I had a bad time curing him of ick when I first bought him from the LFS when he was whopping 1inch. Better safe then sorry with this crew.



Hilde said:


> Great start! I like the rock placement.
> 
> The red plant will need some iron to maintain its color.


Thanks, I think I may add some more rocks, the ones I get from the St. Lawrence river have such great color, and you can't beat free. The plants (apart from some duckweed) are currently plastic :icon_redf But I will definitely keep your advice in mind when I get my shipment in.




Thanks so much for the great words of encouragement. I can't wait to really get going on this tank. :biggrin:


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

The plants arrived!!!! Two orders arrived in the same day actually. So of course I was a little busy when I got home  I also bought 2 dome shop lights with cfl bulbs to hang over the tank and black contact paper to act as a background (will have to redo it when I'm in a more patient mood). Everything is FINALLY planted/tied to rocks. Time for pictures....

Two of the "Three Amigos" hanging out by the dwarf hair grass and Isoetes sp. These guys are so fun, and easiest to photograph when Tiko gets out of the way.









This.... Is Tiko, one of my most curious fish. He loves to watch everything I do and a total camera whore.









Zeke doesn't like the camera as much, looks like he was about to bite me.









One of my tiger barbs playing in the bubbles, kept nipping at my arm as I was planting the Bacopa monnieri









My other parrot, Java, doing a little jig for the camera, of course Tiko trying to get in on the picture. 









Java photo bombing Tiko's side shot.. I SEE YOUUUU









My pearl and opaline gourami's playing in the duckweed.









What the tank looks like.. NO MORE PLASTIC!











Next up for the tank will be installing the canister filter once it arrives, hanging the dome lights with conduit, adding driftwood and maybe more rocks.


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## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

Awesome man! Fish look wicked happy, nice work!


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

Thanks, yeah they seem to love this new tank and they keep checking out all the new plants. Now for the exciting part of watching it all grow.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

Oh yeah, and this is the canister that is coming 
AquaTop 400UV

The waiting kills me.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

Nice looking tank. And great looking fish.:fish:

Keep an eye on the Nitrates, Nitrites, and Ammonia for a few weeks. You are going to get a decent spike from the potting soil.

Good luck, and keep up the good work.:thumbsup:


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> Nice looking tank. And great looking fish.
> 
> Keep an eye on the Nitrates, Nitrites, and Ammonia for a few weeks. You are going to get a decent spike from the potting soil.
> 
> Good luck, and keep up the good work.


Yeah I'm hoping to curb a major cycle by using a filter that's already been cycled and frequent water changes but you know more than me since you're part of the Fraternity of Dirt  . My fish are a tough buch but I won't take the risk of losing them to something like ammonia. I appreciate all the feedback and advice. Any and all is welcome  

Side note, Ive been cruising the forum and saw some drastic measures people had to take because of fish TB. My UV sterilizer can't come soon enough. Plan on running both filters though until the canister is cycled.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Yeah I'm hoping to curb a major cycle by using a filter that's already been cycled and frequent water changes but you know more than me since you're part of the Fraternity of Dirt  . My fish are a tough buch but I won't take the risk of losing them to something like ammonia. I appreciate all the feedback and advice. Any and all is welcome
> 
> Side note, Ive been cruising the forum and saw some drastic measures people had to take because of fish TB. My UV sterilizer can't come soon enough. Plan on running both filters though until the canister is cycled.


Lol, don't let the Fraternity membership fool you. I just started in the dirt business, but I was watching one of my tanks very closely. By spike, I mean 40 ppm nitrate over night and 10ppm ammonia very soon after. Just watch it like a hawk and you should be in the clear in about 3 weeks. Running a bigger filter than I was should help, but it will still be up there. One question, did you use the Miracle Gro in the green bag or orange bag?


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> Lol, don't let the Fraternity membership fool you. I just started in the dirt business, but I was watching one of my tanks very closely. By spike, I mean 40 ppm nitrate over night and 10ppm ammonia very soon after. Just watch it like a hawk and you should be in the clear in about 3 weeks. Running a bigger filter than I was should help, but it will still be up there. One question, did you use the Miracle Gro in the green bag or orange bag?


Yeah I keep checking the levels. I used the brown bag, the organic kind. Was your filter already cycled from another tank or was it brand new?


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Yeah I keep checking the levels. I used the brown bag, the organic kind. Was your filter already cycled from another tank or was it brand new?


I believe with the bag you used, you will not have readings that will be that high. I used the green bag which gave me the really high readings.

My filter was already cycled. The tank had been running for about a year before I added the dirt, but it is only 2.5 gallons, and a small internal power filter. That did not help my tank at all, I am sure.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> I believe with the bag you used, you will not have readings that will be that high. I used the green bag which gave me the really high readings.
> 
> My filter was already cycled. The tank had been running for about a year before I added the dirt, but it is only 2.5 gallons, and a small internal power filter. That did not help my tank at all, I am sure.



Ah ok, yeah I use the brown bag plus my filters is rated for up to 50gallons. I also have a small bag of ammonia remover just to take the edge off. So far ammonia has been at 0ppm since day 1. Keeping my fingers crossed that the spikes stay below the danger danger zone.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Miracle grow organic in brown bag is the 1 whom use miracle grow are using. A few have had some spikes. Nothing is set in stone when dealing with nature.
http://www.rexgrigg.com/cycle.htm
An abundance of plants is the best way to start a tank. It is considered a silent cycle. Wisteria is an easy cheap plant can be found at some Pet Smarts or Petco for a few dollars. It would look on the left side behind the rocks.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

Hilde said:


> Miracle grow organic in brown bag is the 1 whom use miracle grow are using. A few have had some spikes. Nothing is set in stone when dealing with nature.
> http://www.rexgrigg.com/cycle.htm
> An abundance of plants is the best way to start a tank. It is considered a silent cycle. Wisteria is an easy cheap plant can be found at some Pet Smarts or Petco for a few dollars. It would look on the left side behind the rocks.


Yeah I need some height behind those rocks but the heater is back there, it can only lay horizontal because it's too tall. I'm thinking of doing a minor rescaping once my driftwood is delivered. Nothing too drastic though, don't want to tramatizee my fish or hurt the plants. I'm looking into getting an inline heater eventually.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

irishchickadee said:


> Yeah I need some height behind those rocks but the heater is back there,


I think putting in front of the rocks then would work. For it has broad leaves.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

Hilde said:


> I think putting in front of the rocks then would work. For it has broad leaves.


I'll have to check it out when I make another trip to the LFS.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Ah ok, yeah I use the brown bag plus my filters is rated for up to 50gallons. I also have a small bag of ammonia remover just to take the edge off. So far ammonia has been at 0ppm since day 1. Keeping my fingers crossed that the spikes stay below the danger danger zone.


You should be ok with all that. I have heard that the brown bag does not give off as much ammonia and all that. You would have to ask some other people about that, as I don't have a lot of experience with it.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

+1 on the water wisteria, or Hygrophila difformis. That plants is amazing and grows pretty quick. It should help eat up some extra nutrients and keep things form getting out of balance too much.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> You should be ok with all that. I have heard that the brown bag does not give off as much ammonia and all that. You would have to ask some other people about that, as I don't have a lot of experience with it.


Yeah I heard the green bag could carry some chemical ferts in it that normally wouldn't be found in the organic compound. I just stuck with what I know from working in a garden center for a few years. As for the wisteria I think that might be my next plant purchase and maybe some jungle val as well, thinking that would look nice lined along the back wall.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Yeah I heard the green bag could carry some chemical ferts in it that normally wouldn't be found in the organic compound. I just stuck with what I know from working in a garden center for a few years. As for the wisteria I think that might be my next plant purchase and maybe some jungle val as well, thinking that would look nice lined along the back wall.


The only reason I know what the green bag will do, is cuz I messed up one day and bought the wrong stuff and didn't know until I used it. DOH! But it worked out. So I am not gonna cry about it.

The wisteria will grow quick once it gets comfortable. I just had to trim mine today and it was only in the tank for maybe 2 weeks at the most. And the jungle val would look nice. You will just have to keep up with it.roud:


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> The only reason I know what the green bag will do, is cuz I messed up one day and bought the wrong stuff and didn't know until I used it. DOH! But it worked out. So I am not gonna cry about it.
> 
> The wisteria will grow quick once it gets comfortable. I just had to trim mine today and it was only in the tank for maybe 2 weeks at the most. And the jungle val would look nice. You will just have to keep up with it.roud:


Fast growing... Got to love that. I'm thinking of doing aa plant run on Friday, where I live the aren't many pet shops, even fewer ones with plants and the only local fish shop with plants just closed their doors for good (we had an epic flood that took out a lot of stuff, including Petco.) I need find more sources for fish and plant to feed my addiction!!


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Fast growing... Got to love that. I'm thinking of doing aa plant run on Friday, where I live the aren't many pet shops, even fewer ones with plants and the only local fish shop with plants just closed their doors for good (we had an epic flood that took out a lot of stuff, including Petco.) I need find more sources for fish and plant to feed my addiction!!


There is always the SnS on here. You can usually find some pretty good deals. Also online retailers. That sucks about the pet stores though. And I am sure you will find something. Find out if there are any aquarium clubs down by you. Those are usually good for plants too.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Try Champaign Area Fish Exchange, Chicago Aquatic Gardeners Association, CAGA, Greenwater Aquarist Society, swap & swap shop here, sale section at APC


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> There is always the SnS on here. You can usually find some pretty good deals. Also online retailers. That sucks about the pet stores though. And I am sure you will find something. Find out if there are any aquarium clubs down by you. Those are usually good for plants too.


Yeah I've bought a few things online but always like to have a local place to be able to stop in and feed my addiction immediatly. I'm not patient when it comes to shipping :bounce:



Hilde said:


> Try Champaign Area Fish Exchange, Chicago Aquatic Gardeners Association, CAGA, Greenwater Aquarist Society, swap & swap shop here, sale section at APC


Thanks for the advice, I'm looking at the Sn'S right now for some things. :hihi:


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Yeah I've bought a few things online but always like to have a local place to be able to stop in and feed my addiction immediatly. I'm not patient when it comes to shipping :bounce:


I am the same way.:hihi:


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## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

I always try to buy local...even if it cost me a bit more. I need my one local pet store to stay in business! :biggrin:


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

Daximus said:


> I always try to buy local...even if it cost me a bit more. I need my one local pet store to stay in business! :biggrin:


Same here. Sometimes it is good to keep the people on the forums in business too.:icon_wink


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

Daximus said:


> I always try to buy local...even if it cost me a bit more. I need my one local pet store to stay in business! :biggrin:





cableguy69846 said:


> Same here. Sometimes it is good to keep the people on the forums in business too.


Yeah I prefer locals and private sellers like in the SnS. I worked for a LPS around here but as of lately their fish stock has been pretty... bland, and shrimps are nonexistant. Only one pet shop around here carries plants (other than the big box place), need my plants!! More choices = more money from me.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Yeah I prefer locals and private sellers like in the SnS. I worked for a LPS around here but as of lately their fish stock has been pretty... bland, and shrimps are nonexistant. Only one pet shop around here carries plants (other than the big box place), need my plants!! More choices = more money from me.


Lol. I prefer them too. My fav LFS doesn't deal in plants and he is setting up a shrimp display cuz I bugged him about it. Now I am gonna start on him about plants. If I don't go to the big box places, I have to drive an hour to get my plants. Lol.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

Oh and quick tank update... someone ate all my riccia. Greedy little fish :angryfire . Oh well, just will have to try it again. On a plus side, a few of my plants are already showing signs of growth like my java fern and Ludwigia repens. roud:


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Oh and quick tank update... someone ate all my riccia. Greedy little fish :angryfire . Oh well, just will have to try it again. On a plus side, a few of my plants are already showing signs of growth like my java fern and Ludwigia repens. roud:


What fauna do you have in your tank again? Inverts included.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> What fauna do you have in your tank again? Inverts included.


Let's see.. 
2 parrot fish
1 pearl gourami 
1 opaline gourami 
2 banded rainbowfish 
3 bronze corys 
2 tiger barbs
2 bolivian rams
1 pictus cat


Soon to come, 20, Malaysia trumpet snails


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Let's see..
> 2 parrot fish
> 1 pearl gourami
> 1 opaline gourami
> ...


I would look into the tiger barbs. I have heard they like to eat plants, but you may want to post in the fish species forum.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> I would look into the tiger barbs. I have heard they like to eat plants, but you may want to post in the fish species forum.


Yeah I figured it was them or the gouramis, both were eyeballing the riccia with malicious intent :icon_twis . They seem to be leaving everything else alone though. This is what I get for rescuing them. Oh well. They are happy so it makes me happy. Riccia makes a tasty snack Omnomnom!


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Yeah I figured it was them or the gouramis, both were eyeballing the riccia with malicious intent :icon_twis . They seem to be leaving everything else alone though. This is what I get for rescuing them. Oh well. They are happy so it makes me happy. Riccia makes a tasty snack Omnomnom!


Lol. As long as you don't mind them eating it, I guess it is good.roud:


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> Lol. As long as you don't mind them eating it, I guess it is good.roud:



Yeah, they get one portion as a freebie before I start fashioning little fish muzzles for them. I've got a Package of java moss, Xmas moss, hornwort and amazon frogbit on the way along with the 20 MTS. Can't wait. My driftwood is soaking now, hopefully will sing when I get home tonight


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Yeah, they get one portion as a freebie before I start fashioning little fish muzzles for them. I've got a Package of java moss, Xmas moss, hornwort and amazon frogbit on the way along with the 20 MTS. Can't wait. My driftwood is soaking now, hopefully will sing when I get home tonight


Awesome.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

Tannins , tannins and more tannins... came home to a bucket of nearly black water, guess its going to be a while before this driftwood finds its way into my tank.:angryfire On the plus side, my AquaTop CF-400UV should be here in a few days. My first canister filter and uv sterilizer.. oooo fancy. Let's hope it lives up to it's reviews. :bounce:


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## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

irishchickadee said:


> Tannins , tannins and more tannins... came home to a bucket of nearly black water, guess its going to be a while before this driftwood finds its way into my tank.:angryfire On the plus side, my AquaTop CF-400UV should be here in a few days. My first canister filter and uv sterilizer.. oooo fancy. Let's hope it lives up to it's reviews. :bounce:


I spent and entire Saturday boiling mine. Had to boil one side, flip it, boil the other...over and over cause it was too big to fit in the pot. Might give that a run if possible. After 12 hours the water was a lot clearer. It's been in my tank for a week now...no tannins yet.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

Daximus said:


> I spent and entire Saturday boiling mine. Had to boil one side, flip it, boil the other...over and over cause it was too big to fit in the pot. Might give that a run if possible. After 12 hours the water was a lot clearer. It's been in my tank for a week now...no tannins yet.


Hmmmm I do have tomorrow off... and a HUGE cooking pot (benifits of having a mom in the resturant supply business :icon_wink ) I would love to have it in the tank before my next round of plants arrive. Plus if anything bad for my fish is on the wood, that will cook it for sure :icon_twis


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## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

irishchickadee said:


> Hmmmm I do have tomorrow off... and a HUGE cooking pot (benifits of having a mom in the resturant supply business :icon_wink ) I would love to have it in the tank before my next round of plants arrive. Plus if anything bad for my fish is on the wood, that will cook it for sure :icon_twis


That was kinda my thoughts :hihi:


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

The boil route works wonders. Boil it for about a half hour then change the water and do it again. Repeat until the tannins are gone, or mostly gone.:biggrin:


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

Daximus said:


> That was kinda my thoughts :hihi:


Death to all that threatens my lovely little community :icon_twis



cableguy69846 said:


> The boil route works wonders. Boil it for about a half hour then change the water and do it again. Repeat until the tannins are gone, or mostly gone.



I guess I know what I am doing tomorrow... or at least by the end of the weekend. Plants wont be shipped until Monday, for obvious reasons. 

Starting to see roots growing on the cuttings I have.. Every day I see something new, so exciting


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Death to all that threatens my lovely little community :icon_twis
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That is the downside of boiling it. Takes all day. Lol.

Good one on the cuttings.:biggrin:


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> That is the downside of boiling it. Takes all day. Lol.
> 
> Good one on the cuttings.:biggrin:



Yeah once my camera charges I will try to get some new pictures posted, found a link about changing the settings on my camera to get some better shots of my tank. Also have to show off my little 5gal betta tank. Not sure if I want to put MGOPM in his tank yet, just because his filter is newer aka not cycled fully.


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## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

irishchickadee said:


> Yeah once my camera charges I will try to get some new pictures posted, found a link about changing the settings on my camera to get some better shots of my tank. Also have to show off my little 5gal betta tank. Not sure if I want to put MGOPM in his tank yet, just because his filter is newer aka not cycled fully.


Please share...my pictures always suck. :icon_frow


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

Daximus said:


> Please share...my pictures always suck. :icon_frow


Camera Settings
Just a quick write up of the different settings they use, I'm going to mess with mine a little tomorrow since my timer just shut off my lights for the night.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Yeah once my camera charges I will try to get some new pictures posted, found a link about changing the settings on my camera to get some better shots of my tank. Also have to show off my little 5gal betta tank. Not sure if I want to put MGOPM in his tank yet, just because his filter is newer aka not cycled fully.


If you could house him in the 30 gallon for a few weeks, you could do that and it would help the filter cycle pretty quick. Looking forward to the pics too.:biggrin:


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> If you could house him in the 30 gallon for a few weeks, you could do that and it would help the filter cycle pretty quick. Looking forward to the pics too.:biggrin:


Yeah I'd be afraid of them using his fins for a snack. He is finally settling into his new tank so I'll just keep him as is for now. I have his old 2.5 I could set back up as a temp. Maybe when I'm feeling a little more ambitious. :wink:


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Yeah I'd be afraid of them using his fins for a snack. He is finally settling into his new tank so I'll just keep him as is for now. I have his old 2.5 I could set back up as a temp. Maybe when I'm feeling a little more ambitious. :wink:


I know the feeling. 2.5 gallon tanks make awesome nano tanks. I have one that I have had for a little over a year, and I don't see myself ever letting it go.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> I know the feeling. 2.5 gallon tanks make awesome nano tanks. I have one that I have had for a little over a year, and I don't see myself ever letting it go.


Yeah they are very versatile little things, I like to use it as a hospital tank for my smaller fish. Easier to keep an eye on them. 


Guess the weekend sorta took hold of me and stole me away for a few days. Anyways I DID take some pics of my betta tank so here he is with his little praecox rainbow friend (who is only in there until he can face the bigger fish in the 30gal) 

This is his little plastic plant haven, he seems to love it, always resting on the big leaves. 









He has really regained his blue now that he is in here. 









Near impossible to get this little guy to sit still long enough for a picture









He isn't impressed with the camera lady









I kinda felt like a paparazzi









Well that's my little bow front 5 gal. My betta loves it and really has taken to it nicely. I'll wait a little longer before I stress him out with a temporary tank. He has about 9 ghost shrimp companions at the moment as well but they were added after the picture session. I kinda hope they multiply and I can use them as live food for the 30gal. roud:


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

Not a bad lookin tank.roud:

The ghost shrimp will not breed in that tank. They need saltwater to breed, something about the larvae stage floating around in the ocean with the rest of the plankton or something like that. If you are looking for a cheap food though, go with bloodworms. I use them on occasion, and the fish love them.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> Not a bad lookin tank.roud:
> 
> The ghost shrimp will not breed in that tank. They need saltwater to breed, something about the larvae stage floating around in the ocean with the rest of the plankton or something like that. If you are looking for a cheap food though, go with bloodworms. I use them on occasion, and the fish love them.



Good to know on the ghost shrimp , was just looking that up now. Make a nice cleaning crew and that's all I really needed. Can't beat free shrimp. Might have to set up the 2.5 quicker than I expected, getting two refugee angels and they have some torn fins, want to treat them in that rather then treat the whole 30gal, already seeing nitrates in the water so I'm hoping that's about it for the cycle.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Good to know on the ghost shrimp , was just looking that up now. Make a nice cleaning crew and that's all I really needed. Can't beat free shrimp. Might have to set up the 2.5 quicker than I expected, getting two refugee angels and they have some torn fins, want to treat them in that rather then treat the whole 30gal, already seeing nitrates in the water so I'm hoping that's about it for the cycle.


You can get ghost shrimp as feeder shrimp at almost any pet store. They also like meaty food too. Watch your snails with these guys, I saw my 2 inch one eat like 3 good sized snails on me, and he ate my clam. He loved blood worms though.

That will be good to treat them out of the tank. And the Nitrate spike may last a while with the soil. Not sure how long though.


----------



## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> You can get ghost shrimp as feeder shrimp at almost any pet store. They also like meaty food too. Watch your snails with these guys, I saw my 2 inch one eat like 3 good sized snails on me, and he ate my clam. He loved blood worms though.
> 
> That will be good to treat them out of the tank. And the Nitrate spike may last a while with the soil. Not sure how long though.



Yeah our lps sells them for pretty cheap. If I see them get aggressive in my 5gal then into the 30gal they will go for the parrots :icon_twis 

Just got done with a 20% change on the big tank, boy do I hate lugging water up the stairs. 
The hornwort in my tank has grown 3inches easily since it was put in there. Getting some more plants shipped out monday and should be getting my filter monday or tuesday.. YAY


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Yeah our lps sells them for pretty cheap. If I see them get aggressive in my 5gal then into the 30gal they will go for the parrots :icon_twis
> 
> Just got done with a 20% change on the big tank, boy do I hate lugging water up the stairs.
> The hornwort in my tank has grown 3inches easily since it was put in there. Getting some more plants shipped out monday and should be getting my filter monday or tuesday.. YAY


Lol. I think mine was the culprit in the case of the missing guppy fry at one point. But that is old news. He was the one in my avatar. Had him for like 2 years before he kicked it.

I hate lugging water too. I wish I could put a sink in my bedroom. It would be so much easier.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> Lol. I think mine was the culprit in the case of the missing guppy fry at one point. But that is old news. He was the one in my avatar. Had him for like 2 years before he kicked it.
> 
> I hate lugging water too. I wish I could put a sink in my bedroom. It would be so much easier.


Yeah I always considered getting a drinking water hose and just attaching it to the outside spigot. Would go MUCH faster lol


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Yeah I always considered getting a drinking water hose and just attaching it to the outside spigot. Would go MUCH faster lol


Lol. I wish I could do that, but all the tanks are on the second floor, and I could see a flood happening at some point.:hihi:


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

irishchickadee said:


> Yeah I always considered getting a drinking water hose and just attaching it to the outside spigot. Would go MUCH faster lol


I read someone did a DIY python to change water a faucet in the basement. Do a search in the the DIY section for python and perhaps you will find it.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> Lol. I wish I could do that, but all the tanks are on the second floor, and I could see a flood happening at some point.:hihi:


Yeah ditto, couldn't imagine the reaction of the people I live with if water started coming through the ceiling lol 



Hilde said:


> I read someone did a DIY python to change water a faucet in the basement. Do a search in the the DIY section for python and perhaps you will find it.


It's actually a good idea, maybe if I put in a secondary quick shut off on it and snaked it through my window, then if it does start to leak I could shut it off right from my window and toss the mess down into the grass lol. Wonder what the neighbors would say :wink:


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Yeah ditto, couldn't imagine the reaction of the people I live with if water started coming through the ceiling lol
> 
> 
> 
> It's actually a good idea, maybe if I put in a secondary quick shut off on it and snaked it through my window, then if it does start to leak I could shut it off right from my window and toss the mess down into the grass lol. Wonder what the neighbors would say :wink:


I live with the in-laws and I know exactly what they would say. Lol. And it would not be pretty.:hihi:

If you do do a DIY python, lemme know. I would like to see how that is done. I have a faint idea, but it is too early to get it completely through my head at the moment.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

YAY My Aquatop came!! Well it actually came 2 days ago but with the craziness at work this is the first chance I've had to post about it. Came nicely packaged, clearly needed to buy more media for it to fill the trays. I decided to go with a mostly biological filtration in it. First tray = deconstructed loofa sponges to make a nice home for the good bacteria topped with a fine filter pad, Second Tray= Fine Filter pad with a large bag of carbon (putting in driftwood and wanted to make sure no tannins discolored my water), Third tray= bio balls and ceramic rings topped with a final fine filter pad. The mechanical filtration is actually a stocking zip tied around the filter intake. If it gets too dirty I just disconnect it and brush it off, easy as pie. I'm currently running it with my aqua clear for a bit until the bacteria has a time to take hold. Noise from this thing is nonexistant. So far it was a great investment.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

Nice.:icon_cool That thing looks like a beast.:thumbsup:


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

haha! the thread tittle pulled me right in! Great write up on the tank!

Hope you'll consider joining the fraternity. Having a journal and tracking the events, sharing with others is the only thing required to join and your journal is a very nice read already. You have some of the best members helping you out with advice too. I'll leave now to lurk around catching up as I've been offline for about two weeks and some people added like 42 pages to they're threads so catching up on events is taking days LOL. If you want more ricca I can send a box full before winter sets in just for the mailing cost :smile: just shoot me a PM

Anything munching on that would eat frogbit too I would think.
Thanks for the great read on a new thread! (better than anything on TV :icon_wink)


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> Nice.:icon_cool That thing looks like a beast.:thumbsup:


I know right, my inner Toolman is doing it's best grunt of approval, hopefully it has no urge for 'upgrades' 



wkndracer said:


> haha! the thread tittle pulled me right in! Great write up on the tank!
> 
> Hope you'll consider joining the fraternity. Having a journal and tracking the events, sharing with others is the only thing required to join and your journal is a very nice read already. You have some of the best members helping you out with advice too. I'll leave now to lurk around catching up as I've been offline for about two weeks and some people added like 42 pages to they're threads so catching up on events is taking days LOL. If you want more ricca I can send a box full before winter sets in just for the mailing cost just shoot me a PM
> 
> ...



Yeah, must say I was inspired by your thread to really take the plunge. The new growth already seen has me wanting to make my 5gal betta tank a dirt tank as well. Just added some more hornwort, amazon frogbit and java moss into the tank from Neoshrimp We will see how the fish do with this bit of java moss before I toss anything else in there. I'm thinking I have some mutated cow fish or something the way they graze on stuff lol. 

I know what you mean about the threads vs tv. I'd rather (and most often do) spend more time reading on here then I do watching tv. lol


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> I know right, my inner Toolman is doing it's best grunt of approval, hopefully it has no urge for 'upgrades'
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That video was hysterical. 

You know you are going to want to upgrade sooner or later.roud::hihi:

And you should join the fraternity. Lot's of fun people in it and wkndracer is a guru on the dirt subject.:thumbsup:


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> That video was hysterical.
> 
> You know you are going to want to upgrade sooner or later.roud::hihi:
> 
> And you should join the fraternity. Lot's of fun people in it and wkndracer is a guru on the dirt subject.:thumbsup:



What is this... come to the dirt side... we have cookies!!! Feel like I'm being pressured to join a cult or something. ONE OF US ONE OF US!! :icon_eek: haha I will get right on that joining thing


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> What is this... come to the dirt side... we have cookies!!! Feel like I'm being pressured to join a cult or something. ONE OF US ONE OF US!! :icon_eek: haha I will get right on that joining thing


Lol. It is a cult.:icon_eek:

Just not the kind that drinks the Kool-Aid.:hihi:


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

ROFL. Love the sig.:icon_lol:


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> Lol. It is a cult.:icon_eek:
> 
> Just not the kind that drinks the Kool-Aid.:hihi:


LMAO WISH I'D THOUGHT TO INCLUDE THAT!
(thanks for the cookie Irish)


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

wkndracer said:


> LMAO WISH I'D THOUGHT TO INCLUDE THAT!
> (thanks for the cookie Irish)


Lol. You should add it.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

PICTURES!!! Yes I mustered up some energy to show some changes to the tank.. still a work in progress by far. 

MAIL'S HERE .. Thanks to Neoshrimp for a ROAK









Tiko whoring it up for the camera again. The hornwort to the far left was planted on the 24th and has already grown to the top and then some. Two more stems were added today.









Dwarf hairgrass looking greener and the ludwigia repens was just a stub of a plant when I first planted it.









Java moss tied to the rocks... lets see if the cows graze on all this, might pick up a loofa sponge to take apart and net them down a bit better tomorrow.









Shot of my new rescue. Love the colors on it, has a shimmer of gold on the head but the picture dulled it out.









One of my rams, love the line on his eye










Can't wait to put in the driftwood, still need to boil it, thinking this weekend I will do that. 
Tested the water again today and ammonia still at 0ppm, nitrites at 0ppm and nitrates still hovering between 0ppm and 20ppm. All in all the tank is running great. roud: Trying to talk my friend into using MGOPM in his next tank, he has a few laying around collecting dust. They are screaming to be planted like his 75gal.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

Great looking fish. Love the angel fish.:thumbsup:

Getting him to plant them? Encouraging MTS, are we?:hihi:


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> I live with the in-laws and I know exactly what they would say. Lol. And it would not be pretty.:hihi:
> 
> If you do do a DIY python, lemme know. I would like to see how that is done. I have a faint idea, but it is too early to get it completely through my head at the moment.


 Yeah I was thinking of attaching it to the spigot outside and right where it enters the window I'd do an emergency shut off valve there, just in case it turns into a big disaster. I already pour the water I drain from the tank out the window and down into the gutters, granted next year I have this big elaborate idea to use that water to drain into my garden on the porch below... just an idea at the moment. 

Yeah I got a chuckle when I made the sig, came to me as soon as I sent the post on here lol

I'll pass on the kool-aid though. Sorry if I don't feel such a deep connection with you guys that I have to join in mass suicide. haha


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Yeah I was thinking of attaching it to the spigot outside and right where it enters the window I'd do an emergency shut off valve there, just in case it turns into a big disaster. I already pour the water I drain from the tank out the window and down into the gutters, granted next year I have this big elaborate idea to use that water to drain into my garden on the porch below... just an idea at the moment.
> 
> Yeah I got a chuckle when I made the sig, came to me as soon as I sent the post on here lol
> 
> I'll pass on the kool-aid though. Sorry if I don't feel such a deep connection with you guys that I have to join in mass suicide. haha


I use the fish water to water the tomatoes in the summer. They get to be the size of softballs.:icon_eek: It's great.

It is funny.

Lol. We are not cool on mass suicide either. We may get perfectly good tanks dirty as all-get-out, but no spiked Kool-Aid at our meetings. That would be hard to serve over the internet anyway, come to think of it......:hihi:


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> I use the fish water to water the tomatoes in the summer. They get to be the size of softballs.:icon_eek: It's great.
> 
> It is funny.
> 
> Lol. We are not cool on mass suicide either. We may get perfectly good tanks dirty as all-get-out, but no spiked Kool-Aid at our meetings. That would be hard to serve over the internet anyway, come to think of it......:hihi:


Mass computer crashes perhaps... scary just thinking of it since I'm always fixing this one 

Yeah I had huge tomatoes this year without the aid of fish water, can't imagine with all that fishy ferts what they would look like. Ahh my brain is overloaded with all the possibilities.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Mass computer crashes perhaps... scary just thinking of it since I'm always fixing this one
> 
> Yeah I had huge tomatoes this year without the aid of fish water, can't imagine with all that fishy ferts what they would look like. Ahh my brain is overloaded with all the possibilities.


I feel ya on the comp crashes. I am fixing mine every couple of weeks it seems. One day I am just going to throw the whole rotten mess out the window.

Tomatoes the size of basketballs perhaps?:biggrin: That would be AWESOME!!!:icon_eek:


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> I feel ya on the comp crashes. I am fixing mine every couple of weeks it seems. One day I am just going to throw the whole rotten mess out the window.
> 
> Tomatoes the size of basketballs perhaps?:biggrin: That would be AWESOME!!!:icon_eek:



I'll let the record books know now that I will possibly have monster tomatoes.

For now still fiddling with the tank, just put in the driftwood and moved the spray bar for the filter to the side wall so it sprays across the entire length of the tank, seems to be getting some nice circulation now. Crossing my fingers that after all the boiling I did that the tannins stay at a minimum.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> I'll let the record books know now that I will possibly have monster tomatoes.
> 
> For now still fiddling with the tank, just put in the driftwood and moved the spray bar for the filter to the side wall so it sprays across the entire length of the tank, seems to be getting some nice circulation now. Crossing my fingers that after all the boiling I did that the tannins stay at a minimum.


I hate boiling. I did it for like 5 hours yesterday and only one piece fully sank. The other half sank, and the other 3 floated to the top. But no tannins really. you should be all good.

I hope I have monster tomatoes too. I am a tomato monster.:hihi:


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> I hate boiling. I did it for like 5 hours yesterday and only one piece fully sank. The other half sank, and the other 3 floated to the top. But no tannins really. you should be all good.
> 
> I hope I have monster tomatoes too. I am a tomato monster.:hihi:


Yeah most of them were already sunk, two pieces I'm just tossing because they refuse to no matter WHAT I do. I mostly just did the boiling to kill off anything that I don't want in my tank/leach out some extra tannins. 

Tomatoes Omnomnomnom... I had like 6 tomato plants this past summer, endless supply. I was eating the cherry tomatoes like candy haha.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

So work has had me a little busy so couldn't get in a nice post until now. Few things happened that is a little news worthy.. 

1. My pearl gourami developed some sores on his side so I decided to place him in a little hex tank I no longer use anymore to medicate him. The sores started to look better with the salt water treatment and a little bit of melafix.... then one day I looked at him and saw he had developed a curvature of the spine. If you looked at him from above he looked like a wobbly "S" My mind instantly went to FISH TB!! :icon_eek: I had already read enough of this disease to know that I didn't want anything to do with it. So sadly I had to make an ice bath for him and euthanize him as humanely as possible... then nuke the tank. Fortunately I only had gravel in the tank. I'm keeping my eye on the rest of his tank members, so far no signs of anything but healthy fish. I'm hoping it was just something that shared similar symptoms to fish tb. 

2. I have what looks like the start of bba in my tank (thinking it snuck in on some plants I got from a friend) No one in my area carries Flourish Excel so I just ordered it off amazon today. Hoping I can catch it before it becomes an issue.

3. NEW GROWTH.. Actually had to trim a few pieces of my hornwort because they were growing all the way across the tank. My ludwigia repens has more than doubled in size and the under sides of the leaves are turning red now. I started dosing a little bit of flourish once a week just to add some nutrients to the water column for the java fern (not growing), amazon frogbit and java moss (greening up nicely). Ideally I will phase out the ferts once the tank matures up a little more except the occasional iron dose to red up the ludwigia. 

Now for some pictures  


My little bit of ludwigia that was just a stub of a plant a week ago









Dwarf hairgrass starting to throw off shoots









More ludwigia repens 










My Glossostigma elatinoides was almost brown when I first planted it, now looking so healthy. 










Just bought an inline heater to replace the glass submersible heater (freeing up more planting space) and a few other stuff for my tank. Thinking of getting some cherries for my betta tank .. next paycheck


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

How about a full front pic?

When you run out of excel try alternative Cidex (@ 3.4%) post 31. Cost $20 for 1 quart on Ebay. Solution should be 75% metricide/ 25% water.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

Hilde said:


> How about a full front pic?
> 
> When you run out of excel try alternative Cidex (@ 3.4%) post 31. Cost $20 for 1 quart on Ebay. Solution should be 75% metricide/ 25% water.


Ah, knew I forgot a picture lol

here is the ffs









and thanks .. good to know some alternatives


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

So psyched, went to my LFS and they had a few Siamese algae eaters. They were mixed in with the flying fish and were selling them as flying fish but anyone who has been searching for these elusive little guys can tell the difference. I bought one and can't wait until it settles into it's new tank. 

I also bought a new betta ... yeah I have an addiction >.< Right now he is housed in my 2.5 that has been standing empty for a week and next paycheck I will get another 5gal bowfront for him. Sooo pretty, once he settles in I will take a picture of the new addition.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

Tank looks good. And good luck with the new betta.roud:

By the way, still looking for the Fraternity Of Dirt cookies.:hihi:


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> Tank looks good. And good luck with the new betta.roud:
> 
> By the way, still looking for the Fraternity Of Dirt cookies.:hihi:



Thanks, already he is picking up a lot of blues in his body and tail, he was originally a medium red when I got him. +1 for my LFS... when you buy a betta there, they automatically print off a basic care sheet for people.. includes words like "although shipped in a small container, bettas will do better in a tank of at least 1gal... but always remember, as with any pet the more room the better" They also say how they are labyrinth fish and need to surface for air. 

It's by no means a substitution for doing lots of your own research but a nice addition/wake up call for new betta owners. 

Cookies... hmmm, well I did just buy 3 new cookbooks last night. Always could trade cookies for plants or shrimp or something :hihi:


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Thanks, already he is picking up a lot of blues in his body and tail, he was originally a medium red when I got him. +1 for my LFS... when you buy a betta there, they automatically print off a basic care sheet for people.. includes words like "although shipped in a small container, bettas will do better in a tank of at least 1gal... but always remember, as with any pet the more room the better" They also say how they are labyrinth fish and need to surface for air.
> 
> It's by no means a substitution for doing lots of your own research but a nice addition/wake up call for new betta owners.
> 
> Cookies... hmmm, well I did just buy 3 new cookbooks last night. Always could trade cookies for plants or shrimp or something :hihi:


Count me in on the cookies. I have tons of plants and tons of cherry shrimp on the way.roud:


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## green_valley (Sep 14, 2011)

cableguy69846 said:


> Count me in on the cookies. I have tons of plants and tons of cherry shrimp on the way.roud:


I love your tank. But I love cookies too. Would you guys share please???


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> Count me in on the cookies. I have tons of plants and tons of cherry shrimp on the way.roud:





green_valley said:


> I love your tank. But I love cookies too. Would you guys share please???


Alright Alright, I wonder if I could find some fish and plant cookie cutters :tongue:


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## green_valley (Sep 14, 2011)

irishchickadee said:


> Alright Alright, I wonder if I could find some fish and plant cookie cutters :tongue:


Ughhh, i hate you :icon_mrgr:icon_mrgr...........jk


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

So I did a little housekeeping the past couple of days since I had no work and was ... well I was bored. First off....

SOIL IN THE BETTA TANK!!!

I figured it was time my betta got some real plants in his tank as well so I soiled it up.

Really liking the rocks I found in my yard (and boiled to make sure no hitchhikers)









Finally took the time to break up my glosso and had plenty to start some in this tank as well.









Little bit of my repens in the back, can't wait til that starts to fill out.









And a little something something to the right.. so far he loves the tank, thinking about getting some cherries now that the tank is all settled in.











Next off.. 30gal mini rescape

Before said rescape...









roud: After said rescape...









Moved some plants around, broke up the glosso and dwarf hairgrass and switched around some rocks and drift wood. The heater will be gone tomorrow or Tuesday, replacing it with an inline heater.

Now I need some more plants to fill out around the left side behind the rocks. Still trying to narrow down what would look best. Any suggestions?  I've been thinking about some jungle val.. still not set on it as of yet.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

green_valley said:


> Ughhh, i hate you :icon_mrgr:icon_mrgr...........jk


You can't hate me, I'm so loveable :icon_twis .. I mean :icon_mrgr


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Alright Alright, I wonder if I could find some fish and plant cookie cutters :tongue:


Lol. That would be awesome.

The tanks look good.:icon_smil

I would advise against cherries in the betta tank. He may see them as a snack. But if you find different accommodations for him, the 5 gal would be perfect for them.:icon_smil (There I go, encouraging MTS again.:hihi Also, watch out for the nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia spikes that are sure to follow the addition of dirt. With a labyrinth fish, you should not have to worry as much, but still keep an eye on it.

Keep up the good work.:biggrin:


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> Lol. That would be awesome.
> 
> The tanks look good.:icon_smil
> 
> ...



Yeah I thought about that but he doesn't pay much attention to the ghost shrimp I have in there, he is just makes them scurry around if he is bored. As far as bettas go he is pretty docile. Right now the rainbow and him are taking turns chasing each other around the tank, almost like playing (if that's possible)


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

irishchickadee said:


> As far as bettas go he is pretty docile. Right now the rainbow and him are taking turns chasing each other around the tank, almost like playing (if that's possible)


That is funny. What size of tank are they in. What type of rainbow is in with him. Perhaps they are playing for read that most rainbows like to be in a school.

I like the betta tank. Ratio of rock is sweet. Amazed you have the glosso growing in there for read that it needs high light.


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## [email protected] (Apr 27, 2011)

Welcome to the dirty fraternity:hihi: The Betta should like the tank much better, good job. And good job on the rescape, it looks alot better. You have the coolest fish, and really nice tanks. Thanks for updating them for us. I look forward to seeing it progress and grow in.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Yeah I thought about that but he doesn't pay much attention to the ghost shrimp I have in there, he is just makes them scurry around if he is bored. As far as bettas go he is pretty docile. Right now the rainbow and him are taking turns chasing each other around the tank, almost like playing (if that's possible)


If he won't bother them, give it a try. And if you need shrimp, I may be able to help you out. And I am sure fish play as well. Their lives can't be all business.:hihi:



Hilde said:


> I like the betta tank. Ratio of rock is sweet. Amazed you have the glosso growing in there for read that it needs high light.


It will grow under low/medium light as well. It requires high light to stay along the substrate. If you grow it under low light, it will be more likely to act as a stem plant, and grow up instead.:icon_smil Love your avatar, by the way.:biggrin: NARF!


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

Hilde said:


> That is funny. What size of tank are they in. What type of rainbow is in with him. Perhaps they are playing for read that most rainbows like to be in a school.
> 
> I like the betta tank. Ratio of rock is sweet. Amazed you have the glosso growing in there for read that it needs high light.



It is a praecox rainbow that didn't do well in the 30gal, I have him housed in the 5gal for now until I can set my 20gal back up. Yeah I got the glosso as a roak and didn't think it would last but it greened right up and threw a few runners so I decided to take a chance and split it up properly. We shall see how it does now.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> Welcome to the dirty fraternity:hihi: The Betta should like the tank much better, good job. And good job on the rescape, it looks alot better. You have the coolest fish, and really nice tanks. Thanks for updating them for us. I look forward to seeing it progress and grow in.


Thanks, yeah he seems to like it a lot, can't wait to get more plants for the tank to really fill it in. Something about the scape for the 30gal was bugging me, had to rearrange it, now just needs more plants. I love my fish  My friend is always hating on my two parrots but they were rescues and have so much personality. 



cableguy69846 said:


> If he won't bother them, give it a try. And if you need shrimp, I may be able to help you out. And I am sure fish play as well. Their lives can't be all business.


Yeah I think they play, what a boring life if they didn't. And YAY for shrimp. For some reason no one carries anything more than ghost shrimp in my area, super frustrating. 



Had one complaint from my betta, no "hammock" now since all the plants are too short. Took a plant with a suction cup on it and stuck it to the side as a temporary solution until plants get taller lol


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Thanks, yeah he seems to like it a lot, can't wait to get more plants for the tank to really fill it in. Something about the scape for the 30gal was bugging me, had to rearrange it, now just needs more plants. I love my fish  My friend is always hating on my two parrots but they were rescues and have so much personality.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I am not sure if it is too cold or not. I am thinking it is, but I also think I am going to be investing in some heat packs next time I get paid. After I do that, if you want some cherries, I have a ton. If you want to try it out, shoot me a PM. They are breeding like rabbits for me right now.


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## Dudun (Jan 3, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> I am not sure if it is too cold or not. I am thinking it is, but I also think I am going to be investing in some heat packs next time I get paid. After I do that, if you want some cherries, I have a ton. If you want to try it out, shoot me a PM. They are breeding like rabbits for me right now.


Can you post a picture of how you mounted your lights? Currently trying to figure this out myself.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

Dudun said:


> Can you post a picture of how you mounted your lights Currently trying to figure this out myself.


Right now I have 3 dome shop lights from home depot sitting on the top of the glass over the tank. Once I have more space above the tank I have a plan to suspend the lights with electrical conduit, but that's not until the tank is moved to a room with full ceilings and not sloped attic ceilings. 

I will be posting pictures soon though (Lost track of time) I will include the lights as well. Bought some new plants.. Jungle val, anubias Nana, and water sprite to be precise.. Tank is looking good... Wishing I had pictures of the water sprite when I first put it in, it grows sooo fast.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Right now I have 3 dome shop lights from home depot sitting on the top of the glass over the tank. Once I have more space above the tank I have a plan to suspend the lights with electrical conduit, but that's not until the tank is moved to a room with full ceilings and not sloped attic ceilings.
> 
> I will be posting pictures soon though (Lost track of time) I will include the lights as well. Bought some new plants.. Jungle val, anubias Nana, and water sprite to be precise.. Tank is looking good... Wishing I had pictures of the water sprite when I first put it in, it grows sooo fast.


That stuff is a weed, but a really cool lookin weed.


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## narhay (Feb 28, 2007)

How are your blood parrots with the plants? Are they being uprooted or bitten?


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

narhay said:


> How are your blood parrots with the plants? Are they being uprooted or bitten?


When I first plant something I have to occasionally replant it until they get the idea to LEAVE IT ALONE.. but overall they leave things be. It's my pictus cat I have more issues with, he darts around the tank like he is on fire. Overall they are all pretty good.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> That stuff is a weed, but a really cool lookin weed.


Yeah its a cool looking weed. Cheap and fills out empty spaces great. My gouramis like hiding in the leaves.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Yeah its a cool looking weed. Cheap and fills out empty spaces great. My gouramis like hiding in the leaves.


Shrimp love it too. If you really want to see it take off, add ferts and CO2. Took the small plant I started with 2 weeks to completely take over the back wall of a 10 gallon thank. It was also shading so much of the tank, I had to cut it back once a week and take a bunch of it out.

Shrimp love it too.roud:


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

I know I know, I've been pretty bad at updating, the holidays kind of took hold of me. My camera is charging as I type so I will have picture updates either tonight or tomorrow morning. I added 2 more anubias nana, 3 crypt parva and 3 crypt wendtii 'red'.. my lfs got a new shipment of plants and finally had something other than its usual bland assortment. I love the way the tank is starting to fill out. The jungle val lost most of it's original growth and sprouted all new leaves, some of which is already touching the top of the water line. I think the tank is really settling in now because even the java ferns are starting to fill out. 

Here's hoping for a speedy camera charge.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> I know I know, I've been pretty bad at updating, the holidays kind of took hold of me. My camera is charging as I type so I will have picture updates either tonight or tomorrow morning. I added 2 more anubias nana, 3 crypt parva and 3 crypt wendtii 'red'.. my lfs got a new shipment of plants and finally had something other than its usual bland assortment. I love the way the tank is starting to fill out. The jungle val lost most of it's original growth and sprouted all new leaves, some of which is already touching the top of the water line. I think the tank is really settling in now because even the java ferns are starting to fill out.
> 
> Here's hoping for a speedy camera charge.


Glad to see you made it through the festivities in one piece. Hope all your holidays were good ones. Can't wait to see the tanks again.:icon_smil


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

Finally got the time to post a big picture update of the 30gal.









Probably the only semi good shot of my Pristella Tetras, just got six of them to shoal around the tank









My blue ram, love the colors (had two but one came up dead after a week, want more but waiting to see if this one survives)









C. Parva I just added









Anubias nana, just got the 2 larger ones at pet smart of all places.









One of my snails.. love the coloring.. always on the look out for one that aren't gold or brown lol









C. Wendtii, (red or tropica??) and another snail looks more purple in person









Water sprite after being trimmed back a bit









Java fern is really liking the driftwood









Pale blue snail.. newest addition


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> Glad to see you made it through the festivities in one piece. Hope all your holidays were good ones. Can't wait to see the tanks again.:icon_smil


Yeah I barely did, we will see how I survive tonight's new years eve festivities.



About to start a 20tall up.. my question is should I do another soil tank or try my luck at diy co2... hmmmm :help:


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Yeah I barely did, we will see how I survive tonight's new years eve festivities.
> 
> 
> 
> About to start a 20tall up.. my question is should I do another soil tank or try my luck at diy co2... hmmmm :help:


Hope you survived the new year festivities as well.

The tank looks great. Much better with 3 lights over it now. Your C. wendtii looks like 'Tropica' to me. The 'Red' would be just that. More red. Lol.

For the 20 high, dirt + DIY CO2 = Amazingness.:biggrin:


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> Hope you survived the new year festivities as well.
> 
> The tank looks great. Much better with 3 lights over it now. Your C. wendtii looks like 'Tropica' to me. The 'Red' would be just that. More red. Lol.
> 
> For the 20 high, dirt + DIY CO2 = Amazingness.:biggrin:


Yeah that's what I was figuring, the tag just said C. wendtii but from looking at your tanks I was figuring it was tropica. The 3rd light is a big improvement. Now I think I just have to be patient and let the plants grow out a little. Hence why I'm itching to start my 20H back up again.


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## AnniePN (Oct 8, 2011)

I just finished reading this entire thread and by the time I was done, I was laughing my butt off at that amazing little parrot fish. Every other fish photo you see is is just a fish doing his natural thing in the water, but that parrot fish is literally looking straight into the camera at every shot and I absolutely love him just for that reason alone!

And I must add the best shot of all is the shot where he is peering through the plant leaves, here on page 8. He knows he is photogenic, and every photo opportunity is another opportunity to grace us with his great looks. lol, kinda made my day. I know, it doesn't take much to make my day huh


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Yeah that's what I was figuring, the tag just said C. wendtii but from looking at your tanks I was figuring it was tropica. The 3rd light is a big improvement. Now I think I just have to be patient and let the plants grow out a little. Hence why I'm itching to start my 20H back up again.


I love all the C. wendtii plant variants. If you want more let me know. I have a few varieties. And the 3rd light does help.:thumbsup:


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

AnniePN said:


> I just finished reading this entire thread and by the time I was done, I was laughing my butt off at that amazing little parrot fish. Every other fish photo you see is is just a fish doing his natural thing in the water, but that parrot fish is literally looking straight into the camera at every shot and I absolutely love him just for that reason alone!
> 
> And I must add the best shot of all is the shot where he is peering through the plant leaves, here on page 8. He knows he is photogenic, and every photo opportunity is another opportunity to grace us with his great looks. lol, kinda made my day. I know, it doesn't take much to make my day huh



Oh I know, Tiko cracks me up, he limits me from having small fish (he will eat them of course) and occasionally pulls up plants when they are newly planted but overall I love him. It's like having a little dog, he is always at the front of the tank watching my every move. Sometimes it is actually difficult to get a good shot WITHOUT him photo bombing it. 



cableguy69846 said:


> I love all the C. wendtii plant variants. If you want more let me know. I have a few varieties. And the 3rd light does help.


Thanks, it was actually your thread that got me interested in c. wendtii to begin with and when I saw it at my lfs I had to try it out. So far so good on both the wendtii and the parva. Right now my issue is finding a place to plant something new lol I have the next 2 days off so I might be starting up the 20Tall with some soil, the idea of lugging all the water up the stairs is the only thing stopping me though haha. But with that up and running I could get some smaller schooling fish too (Tiko's favorite snack :icon_evil) 


Excited because my lfs keeps getting Siamese Algae Eaters mixed in with their flying fox shipment so now I have two in my 30gal and will snag up more as they get them in. Thinking I should get more malaysian trumpet snails too but weather has been so crazy lately, 40 degrees on night then below freezing the next.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Thanks, it was actually your thread that got me interested in c. wendtii to begin with and when I saw it at my lfs I had to try it out. So far so good on both the wendtii and the parva. Right now my issue is finding a place to plant something new lol I have the next 2 days off so I might be starting up the 20Tall with some soil, the idea of lugging all the water up the stairs is the only thing stopping me though haha. But with that up and running I could get some smaller schooling fish too (Tiko's favorite snack :icon_evil)
> 
> 
> Excited because my lfs keeps getting Siamese Algae Eaters mixed in with their flying fox shipment so now I have two in my 30gal and will snag up more as they get them in. Thinking I should get more malaysian trumpet snails too but weather has been so crazy lately, 40 degrees on night then below freezing the next.


If you have a removable shower head in your bathroom that will help a lot. All my tanks are on the second floor and that is how I change water. Just put the shower head in the bucket. Or you could take it out of the bathtub faucet. Works like a charm. The C. wendtii plants seem to love dirt too. They are doing great in my dirt tanks with no additional ferts in the soil. The ones in the Eco Complete I have to give root tabs to or they melt one leaf at a time.

Some otos would love a 20 high with soil in it. I have 3 in mine and at night they zip around like crazy. It is pretty awesome to see. They look like little sharks when they swim. I love it.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

Unfortunately my tanks are on the floor of the house where there is no bathroom. Drives me nuts but guess it gives me my exercise for the day. I love ottos but hardly ever see them at my lfs.. one of those hard to find fish in my area along with blue rams. I have another fish shop that I will be checking out tomorrow night, hoping they might have some amano shrimp.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Unfortunately my tanks are on the floor of the house where there is no bathroom. Drives me nuts but guess it gives me my exercise for the day. I love ottos but hardly ever see them at my lfs.. one of those hard to find fish in my area along with blue rams. I have another fish shop that I will be checking out tomorrow night, hoping they might have some amano shrimp.


Got ya. Maybe a python water changer is in your future? Not sure how well that would work from floor to floor though. If you can't find otos and amanos, talk to Rachel (msjnkzd) on here. I know she stocks both regularly and getting fish from her is well worth the money.roud:


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> Got ya. Maybe a python water changer is in your future? Not sure how well that would work from floor to floor though. If you can't find otos and amanos, talk to Rachel (msjnkzd) on here. I know she stocks both regularly and getting fish from her is well worth the money.roud:


I actually lucked out, on a whim I decided to go to my lfs today because they sometimes get their shipments today and they had a tank FULL of ottos, I picked up 6 and 6 head&light tetras. Also talked to the sales girl there and gave her the link to this forum because she wanted to know more about dirt tanks. Converting one person at a time roud:

I'll keep Rachel in mind for the amanos though.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> I actually lucked out, on a whim I decided to go to my lfs today because they sometimes get their shipments today and they had a tank FULL of ottos, I picked up 6 and 6 head&light tetras. Also talked to the sales girl there and gave her the link to this forum because she wanted to know more about dirt tanks. Converting one person at a time roud:
> 
> I'll keep Rachel in mind for the amanos though.


Just make sure you acclimate the otos slowly. They do well with drip acclimation, and try to match the waterchange water to the tank temp as best you can.

Her fish are amazing. I can't wait to get money again to order more. I still have 2 and a half tanks to stock.roud:


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> Just make sure you acclimate the otos slowly. They do well with drip acclimation, and try to match the waterchange water to the tank temp as best you can.
> 
> Her fish are amazing. I can't wait to get money again to order more. I still have 2 and a half tanks to stock.roud:


So far so good with the ottos, one found a home in my 5 gal betta tank and has already cleaned up most of it. I may have lost 1 in the 30gal but I confirmed 4 are still alive at least. They are still a little shy in the 30gal but slowly coming out of hiding. 

Hope to have some new pictures up of both tanks sometime this week.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> So far so good with the ottos, one found a home in my 5 gal betta tank and has already cleaned up most of it. I may have lost 1 in the 30gal but I confirmed 4 are still alive at least. They are still a little shy in the 30gal but slowly coming out of hiding.
> 
> Hope to have some new pictures up of both tanks sometime this week.


Glad to hear the otos are doing well. Sorry to hear about the lost one though. If you look at your tank after lights out, you should see them zooming around. They seem to get more active at night in my experience.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

Alright so I finally had time to do a few things which included adding another 5gal dirt tank to my collection, eventually it will be diy CO2 as well once I get the supplies. I found some 6500k cfls for my 30gal so I switched them out with the current 5000k .. really like the bluer color on that tank. ANDDDD I took some new pictures 

First off the 30gal
















Moved one of the a. nana plants to the rocks to add some height to the tank, liking it so far.








Jungle Val is really starting to take off, had to move some new offshoots so it doesn't take over areas where other plants are.








Love how easy the ludwigia repens is to grow, doing really well in all 3 tanks (especially likes the excel in the bowfront 5gal)








New growth already on my c. wendtti
















C. parva looks good too but considering moving it to one of the 5gals (the diy co2 one in particular)








One of my favorite fish, wish my lfs would get more blue rams but so far no luck 








Proof Tiko is a camera whore








LOVE CORIES!!!!









Now a quick update of the 5gal bowfront
Yeah some algae on the front but just leaving the tank be for a bit while the new otto settles in.








This is what I mean by the repens loving the excel.. so much new growth










And the new 5gal that I bought at wally world for pretty cheap
Needs MUCH more plants and maybe another small rock, unsure yet.








My whole reason for needing a new tank. LOVE LOVE LOVE this crowntail betta. I was hoping to keep myself at one betta but saw him at a lfs and needed him (he is also my favorite color). No he isn't dead, he just loves to stick himself in the grass when he gets tired of swimming. I'm thinking of getting some pygmy cories and shrimp to keep him company. 










Well that's it for now. With my next pay check I should be able to get some more plants and fish for the new 5gal. LFS around here does 1/2 off plants and fish and 20% off most everything else every 31st of the month so might splurge then


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

The tanks look good. That 30 gal looks so much better now. The lights really help it. Good job, keep it up.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> The tanks look good. That 30 gal looks so much better now. The lights really help it. Good job, keep it up.


Yeah it has come a long way since I started it in october. Still needs a lot more work but my bank account only allows so much a week and this week I decided to give the betta a new home. The 30gal really needs a big focal point of driftwood to really make it pop. Really these 3 tanks are practice for when I get the big tank I want when I have my own house. Trial and error now so I have a better handle on things later on. I'm thinking something around the lines of 100-200gal setup, might be just a dream though lol


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Yeah it has come a long way since I started it in october. Still needs a lot more work but my bank account only allows so much a week and this week I decided to give the betta a new home. The 30gal really needs a big focal point of driftwood to really make it pop. Really these 3 tanks are practice for when I get the big tank I want when I have my own house. Trial and error now so I have a better handle on things later on. I'm thinking something around the lines of 100-200gal setup, might be just a dream though lol


These tanks are good practice for larger setups. I really want a big tank too, but don't have the room for it at the moment. And some driftwood in the 30 gal would look great.:icon_smil


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

Ok so I've disappeared for about a month. Busy life currently plus tanks were at a standstill as far as interesting updates go....BUT I RETURN WITH PICTURES!!!!!  sorry if picture quality sucks.. Updating from my iPad.























































Found this at lfs.. Labeled a red melon sword... Love the colors. Pop against my standard green swords.


















Lost my turquoise crown tail..found this all white half moon the other day. No name yet









Hard to see under the amazon sword leaf but have two new Pygmy puffers.. So cute and great snail hunters



















That's it for my quick update. I'm pretty happy the way the 30gal looks now as far as plant amounts , going to just let it grow out for a while.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

The tanks look good. Those crypts are filling nicely, as are the rest of the plants.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> The tanks look good. Those crypts are filling nicely, as are the rest of the plants.


Thanks :smile: I really like their colors, stand put nicely against all green. Next project ( dunno when I'll have the drive to do it) is to turn my 20 high into a riparium.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Thanks :smile: I really like their colors, stand put nicely against all green. Next project ( dunno when I'll have the drive to do it) is to turn my 20 high into a riparium.


Can't wait to see that. That is a pretty good tank to do that in too. Looking forward to it.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> Can't wait to see that. That is a pretty good tank to do that in too. Looking forward to it.


Put dirt in it...
realized I didn't have enough... 
gave up... 

I work at Home Depot so I plan on going and picking the supplies up after my shift on Wednesday. Tomorrow is MY BIRTHDAY and in no way do I want to go to my work, even if it is for tank supplies.

I'm thinking sand as a topper for the dirt. Yay or nay?


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## Linsanity (Feb 23, 2012)

irishchickadee said:


> Put dirt in it...
> realized I didn't have enough...
> gave up...
> 
> ...


Nice looking plants! happy birthday:hihi:


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## CyberFisherMike (Feb 27, 2012)

its looking great love the fish


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

Thanks  

Actually part of me is itching to go get the stuff I need to start the riparium. Want to make a custom platform carved from foam board.. I may regret that decision once I'm actually in the creation stage of it.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Put dirt in it...
> realized I didn't have enough...
> gave up...
> 
> ...


Sand works well. I use leveling sand in my tanks and it works great. Just rinse it first or you will have sand dust in your water for weeks.

And Happy Birthday!


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

Thanks everyone!! 

Yeah I might try that leveling sand. My idea is put on hold though because I'm going on a week vacation at the end of the month, don't want to start a new tank then not be able to watch over it. I will still get the stuff needed for it , just won't add plants and flood it until after vacation.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Thanks everyone!!
> 
> Yeah I might try that leveling sand. My idea is put on hold though because I'm going on a week vacation at the end of the month, don't want to start a new tank then not be able to watch over it. I will still get the stuff needed for it , just won't add plants and flood it until after vacation.


Ooooo, have fun on your vacation.


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## irishchickadee (Mar 19, 2009)

cableguy69846 said:


> Ooooo, have fun on your vacation.


Thanks  Going to Arizona then to California... can't wait


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

irishchickadee said:


> Thanks  Going to Arizona then to California... can't wait


Luckyroud:


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