# CHAD320s 8 yr. old 65g (fresh scape)new pics pg. 7



## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

NEW PICS ON PAGE 7 I have never done a journal before so this should be an interesting learning experience for me. My current show tank is a 65g that I custom built a stand and hood for from solid oak. The lighting on the tank is 2 175w metal halides and 2 65w power compacts that were left over from my reef tank when I sold it 8 years ago. I got frustrated with constantly dosing, testing, feeding, mixing, etc..so I started on a journey to simplicity and enjoyment instead of work and stress. For a substrate I started with good ol wal-mart gravel. To that I mixed in schultz aquatic soil, laterite, flourite, and about 12 lbs. of good black dirt. Since then ive added samples of various clays and muds from unique areas around the country where aquaitc plant life seemed abbundant. For fertilizer ive never used anything. I have been a firm beliver in not vacuuming the substrate either. If the current from 2 H.O.T. magnum filters didnt pick it up, then I left it. For this new aquascape im going to try using seachems excel and iron, and rootmedics NPK capsules, and some DTPA cheleated iron. I have had great success with my more natural methods but ive not been able to maintain the bright reds for very long. All of my plants that I buy eventually turn to green so im on a mission here to figure that out. I will also be adding pressurized co2 to this tank. Ive had it on a few others and decided that for a journals sake it will be much more interesting if it moves along a little faster. From my old scape I kept the 40-50 rotala rotundafolias, ludwigia repens, and my red and bronze crypt mother plants. The rest of the plants added are all courtesy of the last months swap and shop posts. So thanks to khanzer22, speedie408, wet, m00t, problemman, over_stocked, JustOnemore21, and a few others for their contributions to this tank. Here is a look at what the old scape looked like....


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

...as you can see my camera skills arent good at all although I have learned a few tricks by reading some threads on here so my never pics should be a little better quality. Well now that ive given you a little background on the tank, lets move on to the fun stuff like plant and livestock lists. The plants included in this tank are...

rotala rotundafolia
ludwigia repens
ludwigia 'cuba'
bacopa monneri
crypt wendtii red, bronze, and green
crypt wendtii 'green gecko'
crypt hudoroi
blyxa japonica
HC
macrandra green
melon swords
lyndernia sp.
lyndernia sp. 'verigated'
rotala indica
limnophyla aromatica
mini pellia
subwassertang
fissidens fontanus
cabomba sp.

...as you can tell i cant remember some of the actual complete names of all of them so if you see some in the pics please chime in and reinform me of my lack of attention  Im sure there will be plenty of that. As for the livestock in the tank, its very minimal as our LFS closed and the new one isnt very experienced and only has 3 freshwater tanks.

otto cat
pygmy cory cats 
acanthicus adonis
cardinla tetras
neon tetra
pond, ramshorn, and MTS

...and a few cherry red shrimp babies that im trying to relocate to my 29g so that I can put some more exciting fish in without them eating the babies. I just made a giant mess of the living room this morning and rescaped and the water is starting to clear a little so ill add in a first day photo here....


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

I took out the giant peice of driftwood because I got some nasty staghorn algae that I couldnt get rid of. It was mt fault for not boiling the driftwood before I put it in, so chalk one up for impatients sake. The 3 pieces of driftwood in the tank are manzanita sticks that I scored for free at a LFS closeout. They have the mosses tied to them. Ive never grown moss, pellia, or subwassertang under this intense lighting so hopefully it does ok before any algae can take over. The only staghorns that I had were on the big piece so hopefully thats a done deal and I wont have to fight it anymore. Ive always had GSA and actually leave the back glass for it to grow so that my algae eaters have something to forage on. I really dont like feeding the fish, and dont on a regular basis so I guess thats insurance to keep them from starving  Well it seems like thats about it for start up day. If theres anything that youd like to know or any questions PLEASE post! Hopefully someone besides me will like the progression of this tank!!!


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## Flippy (Apr 19, 2010)

It's looking pretty good! :thumbsup:


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Thanks flippy! I plan to post alot of pictures and hopefully improve my camera skills


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Oooooooooooooopppppppsss!!! When you overdose DTPA your tank turns yellow! Guess ill do a little water change and hope for the best. Can you tell im just a little bit excited to start turning these red plants back to red? Guess ill take my own advice and try to be a little more patient! i tired to take a pic of my yellow water but I could tell the difference so I guess ill try to post them back to back in a few days.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

"bronze gecko?"


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

man these MH bulbs dont make pics come out worth a crap! any ideas?


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

...and 1 more with just the PCs on no MH


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Tank looks nice and natural. Wow, that's a lot of light!
Maybe tone down the saturation on the photos a tad or adjust your white balance?


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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

turn down the exposure and change the white balance to a more blue?


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

yes, I can clearly see that I have some reading up to do in the owners manual on this camera. Lol, im kindofa a technophobe so this may take a while for me


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

I must ask how you grew the Micro Sword Carpet you sent me? Was that no co2? How long did it take!


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

that was a long time with no co2 or ferts probably 3 years from plugging little pieces with tweezers. the mat can be sprinkled with gravel a little to hold it down and it will root itself but be careful its easily smothered. the runners like to be on top of the gravel rather than in it. might be different if you use sand or soft substrate. it does like alot of light too. I hope you enjoy the look of it like I did but it covered my whole front and im ready to try out some HC.


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

best way to do those photos is to take a sheet of white paper and set that as your white balence in the camera or in photoshop... tank is cool lookin though


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

DANG ( insert own choice of swear word here ) !!!!!! Just ran out of co2! Guess I should have went last weekend. Oh well, I dont think it will crash and burn before Saturday. I kinda knew this would happen when I set it up last week with just under 300psi in the tank.


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## pianofish (Jan 31, 2010)

Looks real intertresting mate, and props to you 3 year carpet. Nice! Idk if my patience would last that long. Good luck with the new tank, and have fun,
Your pal,


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

That carpet took alot of time with the tweezers in the beginning to get it to intertwine like that. Then I fell in love with HC, so I start over. lol.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

got some ludwigia brevipes in the mail today to add to the tank. They lost alot of thier leaves in transit so theyre going to be pretty short for awhile but I love the look of these so its worth the wait!


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

What k value bulbs are you using?


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

theyre 6500Ks that are a year old and really need replaced but im strapped for cash flow right now so im going to put it off for another month. May I ask why you asked?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Try some 9325k PC bulbs and I bet your pics won't look so yellow.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

yes, im thinking of trying the 8800s. I want a happy medium between the blue/white light that 10Ks put out and the yellow from 65s. I like the amazon tea water look and use peat in the fliter to add tannins to the water but I seriously think that its the lighting that messes up my red coloring in some plants. Ludwigia repens stays reddish but it would in a bowl of soup. but lymnophyla aromatica or ludwigia cuba doesnt. Laura id really appreciate your advice on this too. I dose fe so its not that so I dont know what else it would be. As for the yellow in the pics its just my crappy camera matched w/my poor photography skills. It doesnt look anywhere near that yellow in person. Thanks for you advice tho!


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Oh just got the PC part. i use 10K PCs on 12 hrs. and 4 hrs. 6500K MH.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Running some light with more red output will _visually_ bring out any reds that are already there in the tank.

What else are you dosing? And what level CO2 are you keeping? I know L. cuba is pretty finicky, but I can't keep it in any of my tanks b/c I'm not running CO2. (It's actually "THE" plant that makes me most tempted to set up a CO2 tank, though... :hihi

If you've got a high tannin content in the water then it may be a light issue; tannins do block alot of light.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

I wouldnt say high tannin level, but a little. barely noticable until you turn the lights out and look longways against a white wall. I dose seachem line and DTPA with 3 kinds of root tabs. And I only run 1-2 BPS on my co2, 24/7. I have a feeling that my lights are getting old too. They were a year old in March, so that could be it too. Thank you again!


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

I use carbon in one of my filters to keep the peat in check. Maybe its stripping my ferts?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Could be. 

What are your nitrate levels?

Post a good closeup of your L. cuba and I bet someone can ID the issue.

Sounds like it might be a combo of issues.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

I cant figure out how to adjust the white balance on my camera and while messing with it burnt my last batteries so ill post one tomorrow when I get more batteries. Im thinking I need a better camera. The Kodak easyshare that doesnt share at all anywhere is a piece of......junk


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

You can see L Aromatica in post #9. Green as can be!


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Yesterday I added 20 ludwigia brevipes and 2 polygonum sao paulo stems. Ooops forgot to post yesterday.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

I took out the middle branch of driftwood today to put in my 5g CRS tank. The fissidens attached to it need to be tied on better and I also dont think that it appreciated the intensity of the lights. The longest piece on the left is about to go to my 29g low tech setup too. It has subwassertang attached to it that also doesnt seem to be liking the intensity. It has barely gronw in a month and this stuff gorws like a weed in low techs so its about to get the boot. The piece on the left is mini pelllia and is starting to do good but if I take out the other 2 this ones going to loook out of place. Dutch it is I guess. Any opinions?


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## msnikkistar (Mar 23, 2010)

Off topic, but I read in the SNS area that you are a winemaker. I live in Mendocino County, and there are tons of people I know with grape vines and vineyards. If I happen to get some clippings, would you want some too? Would be an RAOK. Remember this is "if" I get some.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Nikki, id love to trade you some stuff for Mendocinos stuff. I am actually an ex-resident of Humbolt county and am well versed in the beautiful ways of CAs rolling hills and prefer either the cabernets or the zinfandels but do what you do and ill probably be interested anyway. Thanks!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Hey Chad, I just spotted a baby lotus, so I have one sooner than expected. It's a wee little thing, so I can let it grow for awhile before sending it or can send it now as-is. LMK


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Send it Macclellan, youll be able to see it grow on here. Today I pulled the driftwood w/the subwassertang to move it to a lower light tank as its not growing at all. I also added 5 stems of kawagoeanum and 5 downois. I have a big plant pak on the way so ill be doing some rearranging to the forefront soon to make room towards the back for more stems. I have 3 melon swords that my mother plant kicked out thatll start to take up a bunch of room so ill probably kick them out to one of my twin 29s.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Dang Macclellan, I dont think it made it. the leaves were kinda dry but I was hoping the rhizome would be fine but I dont see anything yet. The red ROAK is doing quite well tho, thanks!
Ok, so I added a plant pak from 4f1hmi in the SNS and heres what I added to the tank:
4 Ludwigia inclinata
1 Nessea pedicellata 'golden'
5 rotala macrandra 'Japan red'
2 pogostemon stellatus 'broad leaf'
2 clinopodium cf brownei
3 lysmachia nummulari 'aurea'
2 syngonanthus belem
5 sphaerocaryum malaccense
5 pogostemon erectum

I finally bought batteries for my camera and I used them for my daughters baseball game. Man I need to get my charger back from my brother! That battey lasted alot longer than duracells! Anyhow the tank looks really nice. Ill post a pic in a few days when I get more batteries. I will also be taking out my red and weird bronze crypts to make some room for a large plant pk. that I bought from Crispino ramos. If anyone is interested in some of these LMK theyre HUGE and over 5 years old. I also removed two of the 3 melon swords and think im going to can the other one for room also. As for fish ive relocated my 3 yoyos to this tank to knock down any snails that pop up. I do want to save my MTS though as this is the only tank that ive w/them. I have also seemed to have developed a hair algae promblem from some infested HC that I added all along the front of the tank. I ran out of excel (of course) so it should be here soon. If that doesnt knock it out hopefully I can find a Flag fish. I thuogh the yoyos were eating it but they were picking tiny snails out of it, lol. Oh to dream....


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## pianofish (Jan 31, 2010)

New pics??? Also I was trying to use your link to your journal on your sig, but you have one too many http:// so it doesn't work,
Cheers!
Your pal,
Pianofish


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

I will post some new pics tomorrow, I promise. And im kinda computer illiterate (< nikki, spelling?) so how do you get the link at the bottom like you have piano? This would be very helpful unless Nikki wants to make me one of those really cool sigs like she has.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

chad320 said:


> Dang Macclellan, I dont think it made it. the leaves were kinda dry but I was hoping the rhizome would be fine but I dont see anything yet. The red ROAK is doing quite well tho, thanks!


Which one didn't make it? What red RAOK?


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

The lotus that you have in your crypt tank thats super cool looking plantlet that you sent. The red lotus is fine and popped out another leaf. If you get another plantlet of the one in your tank, LMK and ill buy it off you. The deal you sent me was way better than expected and im still smilin from ear to ear over the crypts! youll see the pondterafolia pic tomorrow, it put out a new leaf. The other 2 are in my 29g and the lotuseseses are in one of my shrimp tanks.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

The darker red lotus died, but the smaller lotus made it, the pinkish one?
I should have one soon enough & will let you know

Aren't the C. pontederiifolia leaves neat? That pink underneath is cool.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Thanks, and ill be more than happy to buy it from you. What you sent me was more than enough! And I didnt even notice as the bottoms of the leaf face the back of the tank but I just looked and they are! Cool!


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Ok so heres my excuse. I took my camera, battery and charger in my brothers semi for a road trip about a month ago. When I got out I left the charger to my $18.00 battery in his truck. So today I went to walmart to find that they no longer carry the charger, only the batteries (???dumb???) so I either spend the $$ on duracells that only get me about 3 pics or wait for trucker Todd to swing back this way Memorial day weekend. So tomorrow ill probably breakdown and get some duracells. BTW, if youre considering an easyshare by kodak take your $250.00 and light it on fire and sniff the fumes, youll have more fun with it. My other excuse is I got a bunch of supplies, and fish in the mail today so im going to play with my toys tonight instead of go get batteries. Dang!


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Alright I finally got some batteries. The water is a little cloudy yet since I just dosed it before taking the pics (dumb). So here goes..........
1) crypt red wendtii & ludwigia 'cuba'
2) Macclellans glowing crypt
3) left side of tank
4) Rotala rotundafolia
5) otto cat on red wendtii macrandra red in background


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

And a few more........
1) Macclellans crypt 
2) whole tank as it stands in the corner. Guess in doing dutch, huh? The moss tied to driftwood went into my low light low tech shrimp tanks.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

WOW I finally post new pics and NOBODY comments. Can I get my $$ back for these batteries miss? They dont work anymore.


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## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

I love it! It looks very organized and has different colors. I wish I could do that, my stuff just grows whereever...


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Notice the ball of new plants to be palnted in the morning floating in the left corner.


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## phoenix44 (Feb 7, 2009)

I really like it! i like how the tank has layers. Will you prune it to maintain the look or let it grow wild like I do for my tanks?


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

I mostly just try to keep them in same size bunches and trim the ones that go crazy and grow faster than the others. Or if the filter current pushes them over too much.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Just because I built the stand and hoot out of solid oak, and am so darn proud of myself, check these handles out.... the only pieces that I didnt make...haha..


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Tank looks good. Symmetry doesn't usually work, but it does there. And it's not "MacClellans crypt" lol, it's Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia


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## pianofish (Jan 31, 2010)

Tank looks great mate! Love those super tall crypts, must've been growing for a while. 

And psh, I think MacClellan's crypt has a better ring to it. lol


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

the crypts have been in my posession for at least 5 years, probably closer to 7. Dont worry my friend I saved you one. And did you know that you can tune a piano or tunafish?


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## pianofish (Jan 31, 2010)

*two drums and a cymbal fall off a cliff in a far off land*


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

ROFL! Thats the proper resonse to such lameness!


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Well im trying my 1st shot at EI dosing but for my math skills I think it will be poke and hope dosing. lol. I have to do something to save my Ludwigia 'Cuba'. It hasnt grown but has put out a bunch of tiny little side shoots. Its right under the filter on the left and alot of detritus collects there so I may try to run a small powerhead to blow that up into the water column better. The detritus sits on the leaves of it so I think its smothering it. And my rotalas are finally starting to show some red at the top after ODing Fe. I caused a hair algae outbreak but its subsiding already. And my yoyos didnt eat any snails in my oter tanks but they cleaned them out in here for some reason. I only see about 5 or 6 left!!!


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Heres my rotalas although the camrea doesnt show the red tops very well.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

If you look on the bottom right corner, those are my Ludwigia 'cubas' doing very poorly. They are right under the filter inlet and sat covered in detritus and have resorted to putting out all kinds of tiny sideshoots. Anyone that has some tips, it would be much appreciated. They arent dieing, theyre just dormant. IDK?


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## Saintly (May 12, 2010)

Looks great, well done, nice set-up.

Have you thought of changing your substrate, from the photos it looks like basic gravel?

Only ask as I have made the switch, only last week from basic gravel, to ADA Soil.

So I am sure I will see a dramatic change in growth, at least I will be able to prove it, either way.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

@ Saintly. Yes it is some basic gravel and flourite and latirite and clay and schultz aquasoil and worm castings and 8 years of fish food and poop. So its a pretty good mix with rootmedics tabs too. The only thing that bothers me is the effect that you get from the black ADA or flourite or caribsea. These werent available when I set it up and havent been able to justify extra $$ to replace it. Most of my other tanks have black tho.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Trim day tomorrow AM. Ill post pics of the butchery as it goes.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

hers some new pics after I sold the rotala rotundafolia 'coloratas'.
1) front shot
2)side shot
3)Acanthicus adodis pleco
4)Blyxa, downoi, grenn gecko crypts,lindernia sp.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

And since ive had some requests to see my other tanks, here are a few of them....
1)5g CRS and RCS tank
2)5g RCS feeding
3)5g killifish tank
4)succulent desert tank


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

And the 29 g CPO tank right before water change..


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

100 more views and no comments? OK!


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

BTW, the rotala rotundafolia 'coloratas' that sold today as 50+ was counted out as 204 stems of 6" or longer. HOLY COW!! Where are you BIG tank keepers at? Youre missin out on ALOT of plants for CHEAP!!!


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## AoxomoxoA (Apr 22, 2010)

97 of those were just me.:icon_mrgr
Hehe, they look great, I need more 5g's. I have one sitting here needs filled, want a rack of them...
I want to see the kili's & CPO.
I'm gonna start a succulent too. What size is that? What do you use for substrate? Is it wet?
My colorata looks a little different, I just got it though & it'll be a while before I see it's growth for me personally. (almost ninjad me thar:icon_lol

EDIT: Nice pleco, I love how their tails grow long at the tips, lyretail right?


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

The succulent tank is a 10g and its planted in worm castings (yes, I have a worm farm too) with gravel sprinkled on top for asthetics. I need to get a little sand to fill it in some tho. Its only wet about once a month when I water it. The pleco is an acanthicus adonis and is black with white polka dots that they retain for life(some other plecos dont). They only get about 9" and it takes forever to get that big. The only downside to these is that theyre particularly aggressive towars their own kind. My albino bristle nose, ottos or yoyos dont get bothered at all. IDK since ive never owned two but I believe the research. OH, and yes a pretty sweet lyretail. So sweet that my 5 yr. old daughter named her Mrs. Pretty after the unfortunate loss of Mr. Ugly. lol. Ever seen a 5yr. old that knows 150 different species of fish? I got one, she LOVES them!!


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

After some switching around of the CPOs and yellow shrimps I put some things outdoors for the summer including some swords, crypts, killifish, and sunset platys. I just LOVE draining the ponds in the fall to see what I got. Ive had 15 swordstails turn to 50, black paradise fish kick out 80 babies, and swords and crypts grow to MASSIVE size in a summer outside. With all 4 ponds going it should be a good summer!


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

New pics will be up sometime today. Also with pics of the new CPO tank.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

This is the tank as it stands this week.
1) tank shot
2) new CPO tank
3) CPO closeup crappy
4) CPO close up different setting


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

I finally recieved some L. aromatica thats very purple but it spent 6 days in transit and is looking tired. Hopefully it makes it. I took out my failing ludwigia 'cuba' and found that the substrate was very aerobic in that corner so hopefully by me stirring it w/a stick itll be ok. There were ALOT of bubbles that came up from it. IDK what caused it really except for the suspicion that it doesnt get alot of flow and tends to collect detritus. Im also suspecting that im not a cuban failure since the tops were growing but the stems rotted. Probably from the gassy substrate. I like this plant and will try it again from better stems as mine are reduced to 2" pieces and I dont feel like taking up the room to "save" them.


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## stingraysrule (Apr 4, 2010)

your tanks are awesome.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Coming from the guy with the coffee table fishtank in elvis's jungle room ill take that as a pretty good comment. Thank you.


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## AoxomoxoA (Apr 22, 2010)

chad320 said:


> Ever seen a 5yr. old that knows 150 different species of fish? I got one, she LOVES them!!


Actually yes, my 5 & 2 yr amaze me daily with their memory capacity  We went to the LFS for about 3 hours today.

I'm getting ready to move, & may be getting property with at least one med/lg pond & I will put in several smaller myself. 
How are yours coming along? Get any plants out yet? (how about the small "Cuba" stems?)

Looking forward to updates.


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## nemosreef (Oct 19, 2007)

Your tanks are very nice.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Ive moved alot of stuff to my ponds and will move a bit more tomorrow. Hopefully ill be able to post some pictures of some of them tomorrow along with some of the new stems that ive put in the 65g. And kids are funny with the things that they pick up. Or their honesty. She told a buisness owner today who has a 180g bare tank with 2 goldfish that his tank was ugly. lol. and she was right. Thanks dirtyhermit and look for pics tomorrow.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Geez nemo, you about ninjad me!!


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

...and thank you nemosreef!!


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

And here are some more examples as to why im not a photographer.....


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

and a few more...nice pics of the hair algae infestation the came with some HC that im still fighting UUUgHHHHh!!


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

2,484 views and only 25 comments on the whole thing? Geez peeps, tell me how to fix this thing so it works better!!! Im old but not scared of new tricks (Hence the recape)!!! Just and FYI, im going to go to black substrate here soon. Whenever my LFS gets in the new stuff I ordered.


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## redfalconf35 (Feb 24, 2008)

Overall, it looks great! I'm really jealous of the diversity in plant species!

One photography tip that i learned from this forum: Turn off the flash. That'll keep the plants' colors from getting too washed out. You may need a tripod or some other way to stabilize the camera since the pics will be a little harder to take w/o the flash, but it's well worth it. 

One thing about the plant arrangement. You have a wide variety of shapes and colors, but you're hiding that quality. It seems as though some of the plants that are next to each other are similar in shape and color to their neighbors, and therefore kinda blend in and seem like one big patch of the same thing. Use some of your different colors and leaf shapes to break up the similar plants so that you can tell where plant A ends and plant B begins. 

Your substrate change will take care of the worst of the algae, but you may want to think about spot dosing excel to make sure it goes away. Also, if you don't think you're keeping it under control, i'd reduce the lighting photoperiod until it goes away and then work it back up to where you want it.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

@ redfalconf35, thanks for the tips! Those pics were taken wiith the flash off. I wish I could find someone with the same camera as mine that takes good photos and could tell me how to set this thing. Im about ready to go out and get a real expensive camera soon because of these terrible shots. And I hear you on the shapes and colors. I tried that in the beginning but have added a few and added a few until I have a bunch of varieties that are mixed now. Hopefullly the next rescape I can put stuff where it needs to go. And the algae....barf...its making me hate HC since it only grows around it. I treat it with excel daily but it doesnt seem to be doing anything. I guess I should take your advice and spot treat it w/the pumps off. this worked for me the few times that I did it but it gets to be a PITA doing it everyday. Thanks for your tips and comments, I appreciate the advice and help!!!


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## redfalconf35 (Feb 24, 2008)

Haha, here i'm thinking i'm making some profound photography comment. :hihi:


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

I hope that your laughter is directed at my photography skills, they deserve it! Lol, im usually good at anything art related but I guess photography isnt in my bag o tricks.


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## AoxomoxoA (Apr 22, 2010)

chad320 said:


> I hope that your laughter is directed at my photography skills, they deserve it! Lol, im usually good at anything art related but I guess photography isnt in my bag o tricks.


Brother you are definitely not alone! I struggle with my camera constantly when I use it, sometimes not for weeks at a time due to the frustration, not to mention I don't like taking pics of algae either :hihi:
Luckily tearing down my 40b algae farm due to moving, the 20L & 5g I'm putting everything I can cram into look much better thanks to proper lighting, co2, & strict fert regimen from the 1st week of setting them up.
Your plants look good, I'm wondering how you get such bright reds etc but not on the l aromatica? I have the same problem... (& the melting on mine! gah!:icon_lol: One corner I had em in completely melted, while the 3 I put in the opposite corner didn't at all)


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

IDK about the L. aromatica. the only thing that I can guess is way too much light. I got some that was purple all the way through and the parts that are growing in my tank are bright ass green. UUgghhhh!!! guess ill have to try putting them in another tank along w/ my L. 'Cuba' and see for sure if its the lights. My ferts and water are the same for both tanks so this experiment should give me some answers.


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## AoxomoxoA (Apr 22, 2010)

chad320 said:


> IDK about the L. aromatica. the only thing that I can guess is way too much light. I got some that was purple all the way through and the parts that are growing in my tank are bright ass green. UUgghhhh!!! guess ill have to try putting them in another tank along w/ my L. 'Cuba' and see for sure if its the lights. My ferts and water are the same for both tanks so this experiment should give me some answers.


Pretty much the exact same story here. I'll post my results too as they come. Funny though, I figured more light would help with the color._ (really super bright green I agree!)_


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Im suspeceting either light in lumens or photoperiod as the lady I got my purple has different of both on her tank. I added a bunch of Fe and although it didnt do a thing for my aromatica it directly helped my red macrandra and my rotalas. BTW, check Mulberry mountain harvest fests line up this year. OMG, stellar!!!


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Here is todays pics and some of my outdoor tub garden/ponds...


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Will try to post some of the other ponds and tanks next week. My camera eats $4 in batteries just to post a few pics so next week it is....


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## fishykid1 (Apr 5, 2010)

I bought some rechargable batteries for my camera, as it does the same thing. I think i spent... 14-15$ on some rechargeable AA's and the charging unit. Well worth it, figure 4 AA's is about 3-4$ you recharge the batteries 5 times and you paid off your investment.


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## AoxomoxoA (Apr 22, 2010)

chad320 said:


> BTW, check Mulberry mountain harvest fests line up this year. OMG, stellar!!!


Just saw this:hihi:
Awesome line-up, we're hoping to catch a few of these Furthur shows happening right now. Festivals hurt me nowadays, can't run like I used to  
Somehow my friends still do though, you're never too old that's for sure.

Sorry to hear about your ponds bro, they were lookin real sweet too.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Thanks Hermit! Weeds are weeds and theyll recover. Im getting ready to do a gravel change on this tank and should have a whole shipload of new pics getting posted soon. Im going to reduce the # of species in the tank and go for a more grouped look. If my LFS would ever get some descent plecos in im going back to driftwood also. I like the look but the OG piece I had was huge and my pleco was 3". He didnt do much for it.lol.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

fishykid1 said:


> I bought some rechargable batteries for my camera, as it does the same thing. I think i spent... 14-15$ on some rechargeable AA's and the charging unit. Well worth it, figure 4 AA's is about 3-4$ you recharge the batteries 5 times and you paid off your investment.


I actually have a great battery for it but it got left with my brother who cant seem to remember to mail it back.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

I have completely taken down this tank and rescaped it this weekend with black eco complete, flora max, and flourite. Along with wormcastings and a good layer of osmocote on the bottom. Most of the plants will be the same after I beat my collectoitis and found what I really like. Im going to retire this journal and start a new one which will still include all 6 tanks and 4 ponds that I have going at my house(some ponds at moms house).


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## Chaos_Being (May 18, 2010)

I'm looking forwards to your new journal, you tank looked really good!

I hope my Crinum calamistratum takes off and looks like the one you have in that small tank...that plant looks so neat


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Thanks Chaos, the crinium really like rootmedics complete tabs. It did ok before, but tossed out 3-4 extra leaves after the tabs.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

OMG!!! Just got a new place today so moving has begun. Crap. Will start new thread with pics when I get all moved in the new place with 7 tanks and 5 ponds. Yikes!!! Sounds like alot of planning and labor. Thanks to everyone who contributed or who does in the next few days!!!


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Well the house I was moving into defaulted so thank god I didnt move my tanks yet. This is the story of my life....UUUGGHHHHH!!!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

That sucks about the house deal falling through. It is tough to buy and sell in this market.  Do you have any updates? By the way, how do you get your rotala to grow so quickly?


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## kvuyk2 (Mar 30, 2010)

chad320 said:


> NEW PICS ON PAGE 7 I have never done a journal before so this should be an interesting learning experience for me. My current show tank is a 65g that I custom built a stand and hood for from solid oak. The lighting on the tank is 2 175w metal halides and 2 65w power compacts that were left over from my reef tank when I sold it 8 years ago. I got frustrated with constantly dosing, testing, feeding, mixing, etc..so I started on a journey to simplicity and enjoyment instead of work and stress. For a substrate I started with good ol wal-mart gravel. To that I mixed in schultz aquatic soil, laterite, flourite, and about 12 lbs. of good black dirt. Since then ive added samples of various clays and muds from unique areas around the country where aquaitc plant life seemed abbundant. For fertilizer ive never used anything. I have been a firm beliver in not vacuuming the substrate either. If the current from 2 H.O.T. magnum filters didnt pick it up, then I left it. For this new aquascape im going to try using seachems excel and iron, and rootmedics NPK capsules, and some DTPA cheleated iron. I have had great success with my more natural methods but ive not been able to maintain the bright reds for very long. All of my plants that I buy eventually turn to green so im on a mission here to figure that out. I will also be adding pressurized co2 to this tank. Ive had it on a few others and decided that for a journals sake it will be much more interesting if it moves along a little faster. From my old scape I kept the 40-50 rotala rotundafolias, ludwigia repens, and my red and bronze crypt mother plants. The rest of the plants added are all courtesy of the last months swap and shop posts. So thanks to khanzer22, speedie408, wet, m00t, problemman, over_stocked, JustOnemore21, and a few others for their contributions to this tank. Here is a look at what the old scape looked like....


Gooooorgeous! Keep up the good work!!! :-D


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

sewingalot said:


> That sucks about the house deal falling through. It is tough to buy and sell in this market.  Do you have any updates? By the way, how do you get your rotala to grow so quickly?


I actually rented a house that sold 3 weeks after I moved in. So in the time I took the last shots I changed the substrate to black, then moved, then moved again. Everything was fine until the last move when I went on vacation for a few days and lost all my fish. Im suspecting my co2 was bumped up too high and crashed it from there. I moved all of my plants to a high tech 29g and oddly enough I have new plants coming from various places starting tomorrow. So the new journal begins tomorrow. IDK about the other 6 tanks and the ponds as far as a journal. Ill probably just post pics of them here. As for the rotalas. they always grow better if you cut them with about 4" of stalk left. I run pretty high co2 and lighting along with EI dosing. Osmocote in the substrate helps build good root structures too. When I pulled out the rotalas they came out in large tied together mats. I didnt even attempt to replant the roots.


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