# Wingsdlc 55G: UPDATE 9-3-09



## TheOtherGeoff (Feb 11, 2003)

looks very deep for a 55. i like it


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## skabooya (Apr 15, 2005)

Love the rainbow shark and your tank is gonna look quite nice when it all fills in


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## Roc (Mar 16, 2007)

I really liked the openess of the tank without the background minus the HOB's.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

iroc,

I am soon to move my canister from the storage tank onto the real tank. This will help the look a bit. 

I also like the look of the tank without the background when the lights are off and we have a lamp lite in the room. It gives a nice silhouette of the plants and hard scape.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Tank info:

Lighting ~ 96W for 6 hours, 226W for 1 hour as a burst
Substrate ~ Flourite mixed with regular gravel
Ferts ~ Will be EI using Greg Watson's and Flourish (as of right now I have only dosed flourish once)
Co2 ~ using pressurized with a glass diffuser
Filter ~ 2 Whisper 60, Soon to change over to my Canister. (The canister is on the fish storage tank)

Plants:
Java Fern
Anubias barteri
Anubias b. Nana
Anubias b. n. petite
Amazon Sword
4-LC
ELATINE TRIANDRA
Jungle Val
Crypt Wendtii
Crypt balansae

Fish:
2 Giant Danios
1 Rainbow Shark
2 BN Plecos (male and female)

Sill in storage:
Male and female Convicts
Clown Pleco
2 skunk loaches

I will probably add some more Danios or a big school of large tetras


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Update:

Most of the plants are growing pretty well. The sword has exploded in height and leave size and is currently threatening to grow out of the tank. Both types of crypts (Wendtii + balansae) have filled in rather nicely. Java Ferns and Anubias are growing at expected levels. The few rather small clippings of ET have thickened up quite a bit.

On the down side the 4-LC has shown very little growth. I believe this was the case last time too when I started out with it. Then it over ran my tank. Time will tell. 

I am also having a bit of a problem with BBA. It seem to have two different types. One type is very short and thick bushes while the other type is longer and branchy. In the first couple of weeks had just a little amount in the tank and it seemed to go away. Last week I found a ton of it when I was doing my water change. I trimmed off most of what was infested and started dosing Excel all week. 

The most of the algae has turned bright red. Does this mean it is dying? Last night I trimmed off most of the infested leaves again. As a result of dosing Excel I have pretty much melted off my vals. They were just starting to thicken up too!

I have not tested my CO2 since I first set up the tank but I was over 30ppm. My dosing schedule has been as follows:

~Saturday - Water change, 1/2 tsp KNO3, 1/8 KH2P04, 1/8 Potassium Sulfate, 10 ml Iron
~Sunday - 10ml micros
~Monday - off
~Tuesday - off
~Wednesday - Same macros as Saturday
~Thursday - 10ml of micros
~Friday - off

I picked this schedule because I had a pretty low plant mass of slower growers in the tank. 

Now that things are filling in, should I also start dosing on Mon. and Tues?


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

Nice tank! It's great to see another planter local to the region too. Where do you get your plants?

Regards,
Phil


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Phil,

Thanks for the complement on the tank. I should really take some more pictures but I will have to borrow a camera. 

Plants have come from allover the place. Many of them came from the LFS I used to work at in MI before moving down here. Others came from other planted tankers both local (Mi) and here on this site. I have yet to buy any locally down here. Any suggestions?


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

Online vendors and hobbyists. Stores in the Charlotte area suck for plants.

How often do you get into Charlotte, if at all?


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## esarkipato (Jul 19, 2005)

Hey Doug, didn't know you had moved out of state!!! what's the occasion, job after college? I'd guess that was the reason for setting up a new tank -- quite the opportunist. 

The new tank looks great, very impressive. I'm suprised the aquatic clover isn't sending off some more shoots. Substrate ferts might encourage that, if you haven't already.

And yes, I think BBA is dying when it turns red. You must have been really dosing heavily!!

As for modifying the dosing schedule, I suppose I'd try testing the nitrates twice -> once on Wednesday, then again on WC day. That should give you a really good idea of what the uptake rate for your tank is starting to be.

EDIT: where did you get those rocks? What kind are they? Thanks.


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## Subotaj (Oct 16, 2006)

very nice and elegant setup!
good work.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

> Hey Doug, didn't know you had moved out of state!!! what's the occasion, job after college? I'd guess that was the reason for setting up a new tank -- quite the opportunist.


 Finished my teaching degree in April and got my first job down here in July. 


> The new tank looks great, very impressive. I'm suprised the aquatic clover isn't sending off some more shoots. Substrate ferts might encourage that, if you haven't already.


 Not really a new tank but a new set up. I used most of the stuff from previously set up tanks from back home. It took the clover a good couple of months to take off when I first got it. I am running it in flourite. Do you think I need the extra sub. ferts?


> And yes, I think BBA is dying when it turns red. You must have been really dosing heavily!!


Maybe just a little.


> As for modifying the dosing schedule, I suppose I'd try testing the nitrates twice -> once on Wednesday, then again on WC day. That should give you a really good idea of what the uptake rate for your tank is starting to be.


 What smart thinking! This week I am going to go ahead and start the 6 days on and one day off schedule.


> EDIT: where did you get those rocks? What kind are they? Thanks.


I picked them up at a Landscaping place down here. They are called Roan Vally thin cut. Super cheap too! $0.14/lb

How is the new house?


Thanks Subotaj! I really should get my hands on a camera so I can how how much it has grown in the pasted couple of months.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

> How often do you get into Charlotte, if at all?


I have been down to Charlotte just once since moving down here.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Some not so great pictures of my baby bristle nose plecos.

The cave they came from with dad hanging out inside.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Three shots of the tank. They are not super great but will show some growth.

























ET is growing pretty well. 









I enjoy how the anubias roots over the rocks.









Fish and Shrimp:

My Bristle Nose Plecos are now on there third spawn in this tank. Below are pictures of mom and dad along with a bunch of babies and the eggs of the latest spawn.


















































Male RCS









Giant Danio









I am not overly happy with the look of this tank. The right side seems to be filling in pretty well but I need to do something with the left side. Any ideas?


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## Urkevitz (Jan 12, 2004)

That is about the nicest Crypt Balansae I have ever seen, maybe plant some on the left side of the tank. Also the sword is starting to take over it seems a little out of scale with the rest of the scape.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Urkevitz - Thanks for the comments. The C. Balansae is by far one of my favorite plants. It seems to grow really well for me too. 

I am not so sure how much longer the sward will get to stick around. I have had that plant for a really long time now and I don't quite want to get rid of it but it is starting to take over the tank.

In terms of the the scape, one thing I have been thinking about is removing the large rock on the left and adding more ground cover there and maybe some stems where the sword is.

Thanks for looking!


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## guitarsrmine (Mar 15, 2007)

*Re;*

I love the look of your tank. But then again, when ever someone has a tank, its beautiful.Each one is a different view of a little bit of nature that we can be happy knowing that we did this. The underwater world is so fascinating, and no matter what you do as a set-up, its always a bit of what GOD gave us to enjoy!! Great tank!!


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Well it has been a few months since I last posted some pictures. The tank has changed just a little bit. Let me know what you think!


























































Overall I am becoming very happy with the tank's layout. I am still unsure what to do with the right side but for now it works. 

Any ideas on the actual species of rotala? I got them from two different people here and I am not quite sure? Roundifolia and Indica? 

Also any tips to growing Alternanthera reineckii? It seems to be getting a little better but the leaves are still tiny compared to the ones that melted off when I got it.

Thanks for looking!


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## MrJG (Feb 21, 2007)

I think its looking great man. It looks much bigger now than it did with the larger plants dominating the space. Its much more balanced looking than before.


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## Dan in Aus (Feb 10, 2008)

It looks really good i like the photo of your bn pleco  It looks really great now. I love your Anubias it looks so lush and green


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## cleekdafish (Jun 13, 2007)

I like it alot. Its better now than back then .I think your Alternanthera reineckii plants are doing good . They dont grow fast all


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

MrJG, Dan in Aus, cleekdafish, 

Thanks for the comments and the info on the A. reineckii.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

> It looks really great now. I love your Anubias it looks so lush and green


 They are growing really well down here with soft water just like they did in MI with hard water but they aren't flowering any more. I kind of miss that.


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

Did I see baby pleco eggs? Tank looks fantastic


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## jinx© (Oct 17, 2007)

Tank looks great. 

Hows the bristle nose doing?


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## Wookiellmonster (Jul 29, 2005)

The tank is looking real good. I think the removal of the sword plant was a good idea. Anyway, do your BNs breed often and what do you do with all the babies?


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## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

Looks awesome, especially now. I like how you balanced the plant mass. nice to see some familiar leaves in there. 

The AR looks pretty good, all things considered. It _is_ a slow grower, but fast to deteriorate in time of deficiency, as long as those bright new leaves are coming in, your good. Watch them in a few weeks when they're down a couple rungs, that's when they start to indicate problems IME. Those bad boys have been through a lot and bounced back many times, so I think you'll have to work to kill them. Besides the other ferts, consistent CO2 and a healthy nitrate level seems to be the real kicker for that plant.

Your anubias is flowering in my tank, by the way. Today, I asked my fiance if she ever thought she'd see a flower in my tank, and she replied, "that's not a flower" in a snotty tone. So, I got all nerdy defensive with, "Hellooo, don't you know the definition and function of a flower? Huh, do you? It's a flower, just like your stupid peace lilies!" LOL!


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

That's beautiful! How inspiring!


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

> Did I see baby pleco eggs? Tank looks fantastic


 Actually they are the eggs of adult plecos and soon to be come baby plecos that are not yet ready to breed... = )



> Hows the bristle nose doing


 They are doing pretty well. I have one that is about an inch long now. Most are about 1/2 that size.



> Anyway, do your BNs breed often and what do you do with all the babies?


 They breed maybe ones a month or so. Most of the babies don't make it. = ( If I had the time, energy and extra cash I would set up a baby tank for them. When I get a handful of them around an inch long I have made a deal with the LFS.



> Your anubias is flowering in my tank, by the way. Today, I asked my fiance if she ever thought she'd see a flower in my tank, and she replied, "that's not a flower" in a snotty tone. So, I got all nerdy defensive with, "Hellooo, don't you know the definition and function of a flower? Huh, do you? It's a flower, just like your stupid peace lilies!" LOL!


 It seems some people will just never get it. I am glad the anubias is doing well for you. Also thanks for the info on the AR. I might be alright. I have to work pretty hard to keep the Star Grass from shading it out though.



> That's beautiful! How inspiring!


 Well thanks! I never knew I would be an inspiration!


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Here is another picture for you all. This is from the same photo shoot as the last pictures.


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## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

Well, you have the AR in a good spot. Either mid ground or in the very back, where the plant is either not allowed to grow very tall or it's older growth will be blocked from view can be ideal, since the lower portion of a taller AR plant is usually the ugliest part. 

I'm implementing both concepts in my sig pic. 

v v v


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Jaidexl,

That is good to know. The new leaves look like they are in good shape but are pretty small compared to how I received them. I think they will be alright. 

Do you happen to have any good ideas to mess with the right hand side of my tank? I am kind of thinking about making it an island effect. That would entitle the removal of the driftwood, crypts, and java fern then planting more blyxa and ET in that area. Just my thoughts at this point.


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## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

That's what I want to try next but I don't know if I have the length to do it right. I actually like what you have going now with the c. balansae.

One more thing on the AR, if the new leaves are curling as they come in, you have a nutrient issue. They should come in flat as a pancake.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

1 of the 3 plants have curled leafs. What dose that mean I am missing? I am dosing EI and I don't miss a day.


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## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

Calcium, I think. What's your GH?

I started using Barr's GH booster in place of some cheap junk I was using, I also upped my nitrates form 5 to 10 when things got better, aside from steadier CO2 after adding the Fabco. So, it was most likely one of those factors for me. I have a feeling it was calcium, because I had a mass snail die off in two tanks that I was using the cheap GH booster in, just an observation because I never did get around to deciphering Ca ppm but I did experiment with a lower GH.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

I have no idea what my GH is. I have never tested it. Maybe I will check that out tonight. Something I have noticed is that my snail shells don't seem to be doing real well. Maybe it's a calcium issue.


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## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

A lot of folks will tell you it's CO2, but IME it seemed like calcium. My ramshorns were gone for months in both of those tanks, white shells littered the floor as if they'd all died within a week. Now they're back in both tanks about 2 weeks after starting with the new GH booster. None of my other tanks or grow buckets experienced this, those are all full of tap water while the two mentioned before are on my own reconstituted RO water which is what I was playing GH games with and using cheap products in.

I just found Chuck Gadd's calcium deficiency info:

(new growth)
"Distorted leaf growth
cupped leaves
twisted and bent leaves
twisted and short roots
Damage and die off of growing points
Yellowish leaf edges
I have seen an extreme Calcium deficiency which resulted in a sword plant where new leaves were growing in almost completely white."


I don't remember having any white leaves, just curled on a few including the AR. Maybe not an overly extreme case but enough to kill ramshorns and show up in good indicator plants.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Well last night I tried testing the GH and I couldn't get the color to change. It should change from orange to green but all I could get was a yellow with a tint of green. I am guessing the stuff is too old. I have had it for maybe 3 years now and it's the first time I used it. 

Jaidexl,

Thanks for all the info. When I make my next order I might pick up some stuff for GH.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Here is a full tank shot from last night. I did a little trim this weekend during the water change. I will post a few other pictures later this week. Until then let me know what you think.


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## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

Very cool, I'm loving the balansae, I need to do something with mine that I have hiding in the back corner of my 30gl.

If your GH test wasn't changing color, then it could be at zero ppm or close to it. But the colors you described sound a lot like an expired API GH reagent. If that's what you're using, there's a number stamped on it, the last few digits are the month and year, if I remember correctly. It's only suppose to be good for 2yrs.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

balansae ~ glad you like it but I don't think it will last much longer in my set up. I am feeling like the best thing for the current set up is to change it to an island. It will probably be a couple of weeks down the road before I change anything though. 

GH ~ 0503 are the last four digits. I guess it's a little old and thats why I am getting weird colors. Baby I will have to pick a new one up some time.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Whats the plant to the left side of the Rotala bunch? Is that a hygro sp.?


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

gmccreedy,

I think you are refering to the L. repens


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Here are a few more pictures for you all.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

LOL...no the other side. The left as your looking at it.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

:holds up both hands to make a L with the Left one: Sorry it has been a long day! My class can drive me a little nuts at times.

The circled plant on the LEFT is star grass. 

= )


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

LOL. Thats what I thought it was after the last group of shots. thanks though!


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Well here are just a couple of pictures. Let me know if you like it. I have more that I will post when I have the time and energy. I am pretty hapy with the tank right now. It does need a trim job and that will happen either tonight or tomorrow. The trimmings this week will go into the container pond I am starting tomorrow.


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## CobraGuppy (Sep 23, 2007)

Beautiful tank!

I like the touch the lone red plant gives lol


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

There are actually a couple of red stems in there but only one is doing really well.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

I will post some pictures of the tank from yesterday and today sometime tomorrow. Until then, here are some pictures of what I did with the trimmings. I will make a little log in the pond section for it also.


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

The tank looks great!

How much was the container? I'm thinking of trying to do a few Whiskey barrels with liners and doing small container water gardens...

-Andrew


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

The container is a 19G from wallmart. I think it was about $7.


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

Wingsdlc said:


> The container is a 19G from wallmart. I think it was about $7.


Gotcha, I'm looking at things a bit more pricey...:angryfire 

But they have to look good and not like a plastic container (Which I personally would prefer )

What fauna you going to try in it?

-Andrew


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

My goal for the pond was cheap! 

I think the first thing I am going to add is cherry shrimp. Later this summer I will add my baby bristle nose plecos and maybe some guppies to eat the bugs.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Here are a few more pictures for you to look at. 

































This last pictures shows the favorite spawning site for both the bristle nose plecos and the giant danios. The plecos spawn in the large chunk of drift wood and the danios spawn on the ludwigia.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Here is a picture from last night. This was taken a day after the trim. It is not a pretty trim but it does look a bit better. Let me know what you think.









Also check out the my container pond thread at the bottom of my signature.


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## honor (Apr 8, 2008)

wow, looks great.


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## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

Nice! Just look at all that ET :drool:


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Thanks honor and jaidexl,

Things are finally starting to pay off. I think this is the first scape I am quite happy with. I need to get the stems nice and thick now and it will be sweet (I think at least).

ET.... I wonder where that plant came from???? = ) As you can see it is growing great for me. Some spots are hard to trim and plant though. My baby cherries and bristle nose love to hang out in it also.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Bump for some comments....


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Looks great Wing! I must say, this is a great developing tank journal.

If I can make one suggestion. You have this void in the Rotala that looks a bit awkward. I am assuming this is to create two separate stands, but to be honest, you need to trim it better. I would like to see you shape the rotala into a bush more and start the "bushing process". Takes time to develop, but you will thicken up those stands alot more and create some diversity between those two stands. It may bring out that void more and create the proper depth you may be going for.

The initial cut for the "bushing" can be heartbreaking, but man does it work.

Looks great though, keep up the good work!!!


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

gmccreedy,

Thanks for the comments. You a correct about the two separate stands. Have been doing some pretty big hack jobs while trimming but leaving a few of a medium lengths stems to grow out. It leaves it a little awkward looking. 

Should I just be hacking all the stems to get that thick bushy look?


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## jinx© (Oct 17, 2007)

Shaping up nicely.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Wingsdlc said:


> gmccreedy,
> 
> Thanks for the comments. You a correct about the two separate stands. Have been doing some pretty big hack jobs while trimming but leaving a few of a medium lengths stems to grow out. It leaves it a little awkward looking.
> 
> Should I just be hacking all the stems to get that thick bushy look?


Well, from my experience, yes. There was a nice write up here (can't find it) about the proper setup to the establishment of the "bush" look.

Start with a big trim at about 2" to 3" above substrate. Once grown out, trim at about 5" to 6" above substrate, then let grow out. Then just below desired height. This should do you nice. I have done this and it works great! Just takes quite a bit of time after the 3" cut because the stems are so low (Took a little over three weeks from what I remember to get the stems back up for another trim). I actually trimmed, replanted tops, trimmed again, etc. etc. This gave me really thick stands to start. 

You obviously can adjust this method as desired. It looks like you have quite a bit of stems already, so I would say a good trim to right below your hardscape line should be a great start for you.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

gmccreedy,

That was very helpful! Thanks so much!!


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Wingsdlc said:


> Here is a picture from last night. This was taken a day after the trim. It is not a pretty trim but it does look a bit better. Let me know what you think.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Holy...is this why you had to sell the Marselia


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Yup! It was time to make some changes!!


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Quick updated picture for you all. Things are a little bit messy. I will explain more later.


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

i like it. the only problem in my opinion is that the HC is too tall and there are empty patches.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

@[email protected],

Thanks for stopping by and commenting. First the HC is really ET. The empty patches are a problem I have been facing this last week as my pair of Bristle Nose plecos have be come bulldozers! Some of the sinking food I feed them made its way done into the ET and they were pretty determinant to get to it. The result was large mats of ET floating up. You can see them still floating in the tank in the picture. Either tonight or tomorrow I will replant the patches. within a week or so you will never know it happened.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

How do you get your duckweed (or whatever's floating on top) to stay in one place?


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Here is a full tank shot. As you can see the main group needs a pretty big trim. I did not do one this week as I am waiting for the small group to grow out a bit. I did a major cutting on it last weekend. I also foresee a replanting of my ET as it is starting to up root. That will have to wait until I get back from my trip to MI once school is complete.








Here is the smaller group that is now starting to grow out a little bit. 








The next two pictures I thought were decent plant pictures.
















Here are a couple of shrimp, one amano and one male cherry.
















This is a snail that we got in for our classroom aquariums. They were labeled as pond sails but I am pretty sure it is a nitrate snail. Can anyone confirm this?








This last picture is of my new fish. I was down to two Giant Danios in the tank due to jumping issues. I traded them and some plants in for 7 white clounds. One died a few hours after I got him in the tank but the rest other six are doing very well. I plan on added about 12 or so more to the tank in the next week or so.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

> How do you get your duckweed (or whatever's floating on top) to stay in one place?


 I really doesn't stay in one place. The floating plants are stems of ET and Star Grass that uproot combined with duckweed that float around until stop being lazy and replant them. Some of the time the Star Grass will wrap around rooted stems and make quite a mess.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

One more thing, the dog likes TFH too!


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

Wow! Looking good!

That snail is indeed an _Olive Nerite_.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Hey thanks for the snail confirmation. I think I might have to order a few more next year = )


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Here are a few more pictures. The first is of a couple Amano Shrimp chowing down on some broccoli. The second and third are of a nice red Cherry Shrimp. The last two are of one of my two remaining Tiger Shrimp. I started with six. When I find another good deal I would like to add some more.

Enjoy!! Comments and criticisms are more than welcome.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Is there an update on this tank so far? Looks awesome!


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

hmm.... I guess not too much has really changed. 

~I am continuing to try and create some nice thick bushes out of my rotola groupings. 

~I replanted the ET a couple weeks ago because it was getting way to thick and started floating up. It probably didn't help that my Bristle Nose Plecos are bulldozers when it comes to feeding time.

~The Bristle Nose just has another batch of young.

~My school of Whiteclouds are not spawning and I am getting a few fry from them.

~The blyxa got thinned last week.

I guess things are going fine with the tank. No new pictures because I don't have access to a camera right now. 

Thanks for checking in!


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Here are a couple of updated pictures without a background.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Bump.............

I am starting to get this trimming thing down but it seems I always miss a couple of stems. The other problem I have is my ET is contently being pulled up by my plecos. I am starting to think of trying something new. 

Also just a hint... a bought a bunch of drift wood from badcopnofish so I might have a new scape coming soon.


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## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

The tank is looking pretty sweet :biggrin: I switched out my ET for some E tenellus micro, I just got sick of pulling and replanting every other week. And now I'm remembering how messy pygmy chains can look. Thinking about trying some hairgrass or marsilea for a change.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Thats awesome man


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

jaidexl and clwatkins10,

Thanks for stopping in!

As for the foreground plants. I have now pulled up all the ET and I am replacing it with a few runners I have left of the pygmy chains you sent me jaidexl. They are the ones that get a little purple color to them.

Also, I made the change to some big bold driftwood. I am not 100% happy with my plant layout but given some time I am sure to get it where I wanted it.

I will try and post some pictures withing a week or so.

Be looking for my plant sale in the swapnshop. I had a ton of Anubias Nana leftover.


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## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

Wingsdlc said:


> They are the ones that get a little purple color to them.


Yep, those are the ones I'm growing in now. Good plants, I've never intended on keeping it around but I always find one somewhere in the back of a tank and it easily turns into many. Not quite as easily as ET though, lol.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

ET was a very easy plant to grow until my bristlenose plecos decided to become part bulldozers. I spent way too much time replanting it or picking it out of the filters.

Are you still running your 29G? If so how is it going?


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## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

The 30gl in the gallery? Funny you ask, it's totally different now. 

First it went low maintenance, then I started soaking my d/w from Badcop in it and it pretty much turned into an overgrown, blackwater, low tech tetra tank. :icon_lol: 

This weekend I decided I want a minimal biotop-ish look so I pulled almost everything except the the sword and a bit of balansae, wendtii, tenellus, hm, h. verticillata and rhizomes to fill in over time. Pulled the weird d/w cave too, it was clashing with the manzanita.

Here's a pic right now, just threw more manz in this weekend. You can kind of see the shape I'm going to keep the red ludwigia in, those are all scraps that were floating on the surface :biggrin: That's about all the scaping this is going to get besides size placement front to back. There are 17 tetras, and SAE and an oto in there. And before you ask, that red thing is a floating glass aquarium ornament (octopus) that my fiance got me for xmas. :hihi: 

Once the rest of the wood sinks I'll try to get more of a hard scape going, something natural and similar to what's going now, maybe some leaf litter. I might get some DIY CO2 going one more time, to get everything bushed out quicker, then it's on it's own.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Ahh you got some DW from Badcop too? I am sure you will like it as I really like mine! The fish in the tank really behave differently around it too. My Bristle Nose Plecos (Adults and Babies) are always on it and the shrimp seem to like it too. My Whiteclouds seem to enjoy schooling up in the center of the DW at night. I guess they feel secure in there.

I haven't had issues with the DW changing my tank water into black water but I also did soak the stuff for at least two weeks in a rubbermaid tub. Once that water started to clear a bit I ran an internal filter in the tub with some carbon and it cleared right up! 

When you get things rolling let me know! I can't wait to post some pictures of my new scape but I need to steel a camera from school first!


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## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

Yeah, all my tetras like to stay up in the floating tangle of wood, I kind of wish it would float like that forever, it's just cool watching the fish dip in an out and peer up at me through it at feeding time. It gives the tank that more natural 'eerie depths' look rather than the 'open to the sun and sky' look we have to live with in high light/CO2 tanks.

I purposely skipped the soaking to get the tannins, also a big reason for less water changes. I've been wanting to do a blkwtr tetra or apisto tank for about a year now, it's just happening very slowly.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

How's the new scape going

I may need to buy some ET from you...the Marselia I just found out has _very few_ planaria


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## Renegade545 (Oct 28, 2007)

Gorgeous tank... great growth.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

ZooTycoonMaster,

I only have a few sprigs of ET left from the rescape that I missed while pulling it out. I really liked the plant but it was becoming a pain because my Bristle Nose became bulldozers and started pulling it out. If I get a few good springs growing again I will let you know.

Overall the new scape is going well. It needs a bit of a trim again but that's how things go.

Renegade,

Thanks for the complement and stopping in! Stay tuned to see new pictures of the rescape.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Well I don't have too much time to give you all the details but here is the new scape.


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## cah925 (May 18, 2007)

WOW was the first thing that came to mind. Great wood placement and choice of plants!


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## kevinstpeter (Mar 26, 2008)

Wow, your tank is doing so well, even the wood grew! 
Very nice!


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

VERY nice! :thumbsup:


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Thanks for stopping in! 

kevinstpeter,
Your comment really cracked me up! Quite funny!

cah925,
I used pretty much all the plants that I had in the last set up. One plant I think I might want to change out is the ludwigia. I don't quite feel like it fits now.


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## PlantN0ob (May 18, 2008)

Excellent job on the scape for sure


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## Saraja87 (Jul 18, 2007)

I like the scape, it feels light and airy. Are you planning on a carpeting plant or are you going to keep it with that edge of the forest look? I'd like to see some plants come forward a bit (just a few inches) on the right to soften the edge of that stump.


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

can i just say something about the scape:
*WHOAH!*

that tank looks great, congrats. 
the only suggestion i can think of is to slope the stems, but they need to grow in first.


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## Chrisinator (Jun 5, 2008)

Phenomenal!


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

This set of pictures shows how happy my fish are with all the wood in the tank. I think you can almost see them smiling!

Whiteclouds and Bristle Nose (Female and baby)








Female bristle nose and even younger baby








Clown Pleco - this guy almost always stays in hiding but at this time he was checking out some of the upper branches.








The last two are of the whiteclouds. They have really been staying in a nice tight group right around the wood structure. I also have a new set of babies in the tank that have about doubled in size since last week. There are about six adolescent whiteclouds that were born in the tank. I know there have been more babies hatched in the tank but I am guessing they were consumed by their adult counter parts or the filter.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

> I like the scape, it feels light and airy. Are you planning on a carpeting plant or are you going to keep it with that edge of the forest look? I'd like to see some plants come forward a bit (just a few inches) on the right to soften the edge of that stump.


Sarah,
At this point I do have some Echinodorus tenellus that get some purplish leaves started in the foreground. I think their are only four plants but I am going to try and let them fill out. I am thinking of letting the left side grow a little wild while pruning the right side back a bit and letting my foreground grow around to the back. I am hoping this will create a little more depth to the tank.



> can i just say something about the scape:
> WHOAH!
> 
> that tank looks great, congrats.
> the only suggestion i can think of is to slope the stems, but they need to grow in first.


 Marko - I completely agree with you. Before I made the change I was getting the stem nice and thick but after the change I will need to start the process over again. That is the only major down fall I see with the scape right now.

Everyone else thanks for stopping in and the very nice comments!


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Wingsdlc said:


> At this point I do have some Echinodorus tenellus that get some purplish leaves started in the foreground. I think their are only four plants but I am going to try and let them fill out.


Sounds like E. tenellus 'micro' - IMO a beautiful and very under-utilized foreground/carpet plant. :thumbsup: I'm probably going to try a 'micro' carpet in my 46gal, so I look forward to seeing how yours works out for you!


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Here are a few up to date pictures for your viewing pleasure. I tried a new lighting method. Let me know what you think. I have done a pretty large trim over the last 2-3 weeks and it isn't exactly filled out yet but I think I am getting closer. One thing I still feel that needs to be refined is the star grass / rotala grouping.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Here is a picture of my 29G classroom tank. Just kind of wanted to show it.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Bump... Looking for comments....post if you dare....


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

It looks great. I love how delicate it looks


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

looks big enough to start shaping those stems. lol


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## Chrisinator (Jun 5, 2008)

WOW! That set-up is awesome. I'm trying to accomplish something like that.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

> looks big enough to start shaping those stems. lol


 Yesterday during the water change I trimmed the bottoms of the rotala and star grass. This should give me enough space to trim the tops this next week. The star grass really gives me problems trying to shape them as you can only hack the tops so many times. The rotala on the other hand isn't too bad.

Chrisinator and clwatkins10,

Thanks for stopping in and for the complements.


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

IME, rotalas take a bit of time to shape, but once you got them branchy and in a good shape, maintaining it is easy.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

My rotala is quite branchy. At the point from the last picture it had been about 3 weeks since the last major trim so some stems were growing out and above the rest of the grouping. It had been quite a few months since I have trimmed the bottom and replanted so the mid section of the plants were starting to look rough. I think this time around I am going to get a nice bush effect.

The Star grass grows so fast it is just really hard to control.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Here is a comparison shot. The first is of the tank with normal aquarium lights running. The second I had a 650W light mounted above the tank shining on the wall. The normal aquarium lights were also running. What do you think of photo quality between the two.

Normal aquarium lights.








Normal aquarium lights with a very bright back lighting.


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

i dont like the bright backing, it makes the tank look darker. to dark IMO. i like black backgrounds that make the insides of the tank stand out.


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

I like the back lighting -- gives it that "sunrise" look. :thumbsup::thumbsup:
I've done the same thing a few times with my 60-P with one of those $5 500W halogen work lights from Home Deep.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

roybot73 said:


> I like the back lighting -- gives it that "sunrise" look. :thumbsup::thumbsup:
> I've done the same thing a few times with my 60-P with one of those $5 500W halogen work lights from Home Deep.


Agreed. Would be kind of cool if you could set the back lighting to change over the course of a day.


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## TheCryptKeeper (Mar 9, 2008)

I like it with the backlighting.. I think it makes the plants pop out more.


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

gmccreedy said:


> Agreed. Would be kind of cool if you could set the back lighting to change over the course of a day.


all it would take is a plasma screen tv that is the same size as the tank that can be hooked up to a computer.
simple, but costly.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Thanks for the comments everyone. At this point I am still undecided about the photo quality of it all. To some effect I think the back lighting gives the tank some depth and openness but it also makes the midground much darker as I think Marko pointed out. 

I normally like a black background but lately I have been in the mood for a change. I have not looked at this current layout with a black background but I might put it back up and try it out again. 

I couldn't imagine spending cash on a plasma screen to use for a fancy background. I bet it wouldn't make it a week before I splashed water on it and fried it. 

I have seen on this site somewhere where they put a small halogen light behind the tank to give it the same type of sunset feel. I might look into that some later. The light I used was one my wife had for photography stuff. 650W of finger burning light. You can only run the think for a couple of minutes before letting it cool off so you don't light something on fire.


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

Wingsdlc said:


> Tank info:
> 
> Lighting ~ 96W for 6 hours, 226W for 1 hour as a burst


What kind of light is it? 226 W sounds blinding!

Edit: I wrote that before I saw the 650W backlighting too. I bet you have no problem seeing in your den. 

Also, the classroom tank is cool. Wish my teacher had been that cool, though it may lead to daydreaming....


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

> What kind of light is it? 226 W sounds blinding!


 They are PC lights. It is pretty bright but not quite as bright as when I had 260W over my old 40G long. My lighting schedule is now:

96W ~ 9hrs
226W ~ 3hrs as a burst 



> Edit: I wrote that before I saw the 650W backlighting too. I bet you have no problem seeing in your den.


 The 650W backlighting is only used for photo shoots. I think if I left that light on for more than a couple of minutes the plastic casing would ignite.



> Also, the classroom tank is cool. Wish my teacher had been that cool, though it may lead to daydreaming....


 Thanks! When I brought the tank in mid year last year it really calmed down some of my wild students. I don't think many of them ever get that type of experience at home. Daydreaming.... I often have to peal my students away from the tank. A couple of them think they need to go sharpen their pencil every two minutes just so they can watch the fish. I think I am going to start a fish tank log where the students record entries of what they saw happening.


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

Wingsdlc said:


> I think I am going to start a fish tank log where the students record entries of what they saw happening.


That would be cool. Are you a science teacher? Maybe you could get some school $ for a student tank.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

I teach 5th grade. Science is by far my favorite thing to teach. I am not sure I could pull getting the cash for a student tank. 

One of the LFS is quite good to me. It probably helps that I bring him plants and fish...


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## crabcake (Dec 19, 2007)

you really pulled this off well. 55's are hard to scape because they are just 12" front to back. your composition is rather two-dimensional, but it looks like you planned it that way--like a picture in a frame.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

crabcake,

Umm... Thanks...If I were to do it all over again I don't think I would get a 55G. I think a lot of the 2D look to the composition is that you are actually looking that a 2D picturehttp://www.plantedtank.net/forums/images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif
:icon_roll. It probably doesn't help that my stems are never very tighty.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Well the move has not happened yet. The original game plan was to close on the house the 26th but we hit a snag and we might be able to close this week.

Being that the tanks will be coming down for the move I wanted to take a few last pictures to share before they start up again. 

One and a half gallon.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Here are a few pictures of the 55G.


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

Beautiful tanks and photos!

What is the light on the smaller tank?


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

nice tanks!

whats that little fish on the wood?


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Thanks for stopping in. 

The light on the little tank is a 19W coralife.

The little fish is a baby bristle nose pleco.


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## MrJG (Feb 21, 2007)

Tanks are looking really nice. I especially like the 55 gallon layout. Is your move staying fairly local? I've been looking for more plant folks to get into CAAS.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

I am staying in the same town. I think the move is maybe 1/2 mile or so. Nothing like moving down from MI. 15 hours is a long way to move fish...

Just looked at the clubs website. Seems to need some updating. Send me a PM with any new info.


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## Saraja87 (Jul 18, 2007)

Hope everything gets set back up okay! I especially love that 55 gallon


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Me too! Thanks for the complement!

I have moved enough times not that it isn't a super big deal. Just time consuming.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Wings can you update this?


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Nothing really to update. I need to borrow a camera from school again to post a picture but the tank hasn't changed too much since the last picture. 

We never did end up getting the house so the tank never came down.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Well I brought home a camera from school again and snapped a few shots to share. Please let me know what you think.

First up is a photo of my new Ludwigia 'cuba' from rocksrgneiss. They were in great shape. I just hope they grow well for me.








Next is a center shot of the tank.








Last but not least 









The rotala is about ready for another trim. It was looking pretty sweet last week but it is now getting a bit tall. I have been getting some really nice pearling as I have the flow from my canister bashing into the flow from my power head at the center of the tank. It has been helping the CO2 swirl longer in the tank.

All questions and comments are more than welcome!


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

Another great looking 55 gal to drool over. It looks very nice, I cant believe this is my first time seeing it. I thought I really like the other scape with the shorter DW until I finally got to this lastest round of pics. I have to say you did a great job here and try not to go so long between updates, even if nothing has changed. 

The Ludwigia 'cuba' looks great I believe if you can grow stargrass you should have no problem with the L. "Cuba"


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## MrJG (Feb 21, 2007)

Looks great. When that 'cuba' grows in to fill up the hole in the middle it'll be a really nicely done island scape. Snap some pics and enter this puppy in the next AGA contest!


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

rekles75 said:


> Another great looking 55 gal to drool over. It looks very nice, I cant believe this is my first time seeing it. I thought I really like the other scape with the shorter DW until I finally got to this lastest round of pics. I have to say you did a great job here and try not to go so long between updates, even if nothing has changed.
> 
> The Ludwigia 'cuba' looks great I believe if you can grow stargrass you should have no problem with the L. "Cuba"


rekles75 - Thanks for all the nice comments!! I still favor the pre large driftwood scape a bit. I think it has been my first scape that fit together really well. I might go back to the ET foreground but I am not sure yet. Here is a comparison set of pictures for you. 
Before....








After.....









With the current scape I need to do a little work with the anubias on the left hand side to get a little more of an island feel.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

MrJG said:


> Looks great. When that 'cuba' grows in to fill up the hole in the middle it'll be a really nicely done island scape. Snap some pics and enter this puppy in the next AGA contest!


MrJG - Thanks for the kind words. I think the biggest issue with getting a good picture for the contest is timing the trimmings and getting my hands on a camera. I need to get better with guessing the grow in time of the plants.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Bump for thoughts and comments. I will take the good, bad and ugly. Let me know what you think.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Here are some updated pictures. My wife and I are under contract for a house so it looks like the tanks days are numbered. 


































Enjoy the pictures. Please feel free to let me know what you think!


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

Congrats on the home, hope everything goes smooth. I will be sad to see the tank go though.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

The tank will be set back up but the scape will probably change.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I like this last picture a lot. Very beautiful. Congratulations on a new home!


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

*Name that fish!*

*See updated FTS on page 10.*

Thanks for the kind words sewingalot! My wife and I are really looking forward to having our first house.

I got a box of fish earlier this week. I won't tell you what they are right away so lets play the guessing game for a little while.

Here are the pictures....


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

No one with a guess???


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## SeaSerpant (Feb 20, 2008)

I'm gonna say Flying Foxes... Not a very good guess though. 

Nice Tank
SeaSerpant


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Point one Wings.... That is a negative on flying fox...... next up to bat is????


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## SarahG (Jan 31, 2009)

Are they some kind of pencil fish?


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## Midnkight (Jun 21, 2008)

Beckford Penicil Fish


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Yeah, I think it's some kind of pencil. I love them what ever they are!


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Nope not a kind of pencil fish... 

Hint: They are native to the USA.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Hint: They will each a cherry shrimp!!


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Bump for guesses!!!!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Looks like a minnow, the Phoxinus phoxinus. Is it a relation?


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Close look-a-like but not it or part of that family. Some of its prettiest family members come from Africa. Pay close attention the dorsal fin, anal fin, and tail colors.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

A killi? No way it's a killi - is it?


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Yes a killi.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

:bounce: I won! Wow, beautiful fish. Where did you get them? I really like them.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

slow down there sweingalot..... what kind of killifish? I got them from a guy in SC who caught them in the wild.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

The North American Killifish sp. South Carolina of course. :hihi: Do I still get some points?


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

What about the Lucania goodei?


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Ladies and Gentlemen! We have a winner!!!:bounce::bounce::bounce:

The common name is the bluefin killifish. I am really enjoying them so far. My whiteclouds are pigging out on all the frozen food I have to feed now so I think they like their new tank mates also.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Yeah! More pictures soon I hope. These are beautiful fish.


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

Tank is looking great! Congrats on the new fish and most of all on the new house! Are you staying in Lincolnton? 

We still need to go do some fishing. The bass are really chewing here in Greensboro right now.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Yup we are just moving out of the apartments and up the road a little ways. I haven't had a chance to catch some bass since last fall. The south fork of the catawba river has been really high and muddy here in town for many weeks now. I guess I am going to need to find some time and drive to a lake or back up to the mountains.

I looks like our closing date will be next Wednesday if everything falls into place. I hope this one goes through. It is the sixth one we have put an offer on and the second one we have been under contract with.


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. House buying can be a real hassle.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Last night the tank went into distruction zone. I started by removing the killifish, white clouds, and what I thought to be many of the cherry shrimp. Next came the plants. Each grouping was taken out, wrapped in paper towels and placed in a LARGE fish bag (the ones they line fish boxes with). The only group that was not wrapped up in the paper towels was the mass of anubias. After removing most of the plants came bottom feeders (rainbow shark, skunk loaches, plecos, and + or - at least 200 more cherry shrimp. It took my wife and I at least an hour to get of most of the shrimp. By 9pm we were kind of wiped out and called it a night.

The plants will remain in the large bag wrapped up until this weekend. They completely filled a large fish box. The fish are in in a 10G tank that was filled 50/50 with new water and old water and then placed with an over sized filter seeded with a filter pad from a running tank. Lastly the shrimp are in a 5G bucket with java moss and an air stone running. I thought it might be a bad a idea to dump that many shrimp in with quite a few fish in a 10G tank and no real hiding places. 

Tonight I plan to remove the shrimp we didn't get to, drain the tank, removed the gravel and transport the set up to the new house. The 2x4 stand is going to go though some modifications to make it a little more presentable in the house. Hopefully I won't have to move it for a long time. 

I will hopefully post pictures of the set up process.


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## seds (Jan 30, 2009)

I really liked this tank. I am glad I took the time to go through this thread. It didn't look very special on the first page, but WOW!

By the end it was one of the best tanks on the whole website. I look foreward to seeing your rescape.

Ludwiga 'cuba' looks nice. GOOD LUCK with the move.


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

Good luck with the move wings! One box at a time. 

Looking forward to the new scape.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Good luck with the move. Your wife is a real trooper to hang in there and help you like that! I bet it will look even better in the new home.  Looking forward to updates.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Here is the new set up. The plants still need to fill in a bit and then get trimmed up nicer. Overall I a pretty happy with the setup up. I just have to be careful with the driftwood.


















































While planting the ET I learned that my little bluefin killi fish will bite! Little stinkers!


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Bump bump bump..... I am so impatient! What do you think?


PS - thank you hooha for the ET and EA. Really great plants!


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Hey, great rescape! I'm surprised you haven't gotten any comments yet. I love the flow of the wood


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

clwatkins10 - I am not 100% sure I like the wood in the layout. I have a few more pieces but I will have to rewater log them before I play with them. One of my goals with this new scape is to keep the rock much more open. Last time around my anubias nana ate the rock....

Thanks for stopping in and for the nice comments!


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

It has been about 4 months since I have done an update. Here is a pretty current picture. It isn't the the best picture (I didn't take it...). Maybe sometime soon I can get a better one.


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

Very nice. What type of plant is that on the bottom right, beside the diffuser? 

Looking forward to more pics. Layout looks great.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Bolbitis heudelotti --- need any?


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Camera came in the mail today. Still trying to figure it out... I got a Canon Powershot A480. Any pointers?


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## legomaniac89 (Mar 16, 2008)

Nice! I love all the contrasting greens in there.


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

You are going to love the Canon. It looks like it's taking decent pics right out of the box. 

I have a powershot and an EOS rebel. However, I'm the last person that should give you tips on using it. 

May pm you on the bolbitis after I get back from the beach.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Just a few pictures for you. Still having a bit of over exposure problems.


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## Hyzer (Mar 9, 2010)

Is this tank still up?

That's right, time for a resurrection.


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

It's been 14 months!!!! Hyzer just called you out on this one! Better come back with some pics or a really good excuse!


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Hmm... I guess it has been a while. Will post an updated picture here in just a few minutes along with an explanation.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Well here goes nothing.... 

First a current full tank shot as of this morning.









A about two years ago we bought a house. With it came some projects both inside and out. Outside I have taken in interest in growing native flowers and also a small veggie garden. Inside we have remolded the two bathrooms and are now working on our kitchen. With the kitchen project we are planning on building a wall where the 55G is sitting to make a 3rd bedroom. Knowing that the tank was going to come down I kind of let it go. It was really over grown with chain swords and the anubias nana and Bolbitis heudelotii were also out of control. The center section of the tank along with any random opening was filled with the chain swords and/or java moss.

Here is a shot from yesterday morning. The day before I pulled all the stem plants and most of the chain swords which took up the left side of the tank.

















Yesterday I finished taking down the tank and set up the new 75G to replace the 55G.

Here are some pictures of some of the plants I pulled out of this thing.

























It took forever trying to get the cherry shrimp out of the tank. The first 4-6 scoops of the big net pulled out 50-100 shrimp each time. After that it became more like 10's and 20's. I know I didn't get them all out. After moving the substrate to the new tank I had shrimp swimming around already. 









Well there you have it! Sorry it has been so long since I have updated and that I don't have any pictures of the full jungle before the take down. I might have a few shot somewhere but it will take some time before I find them.


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