# The rise and fall and rebirth!



## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

Ok. So I have grown bored with my 75 gal. Its established and all I have to do now is feed the fish and drop some ferts in there. minimal maintenance. 
So being the addictive hobby this is. I decided that I needed another tank Specifically for aqua scaping. 
Hard to do in a cichlid tank ya know..
So I went out and grabbed a 20L from a LFS that was having a sale. I also dropped some coin on a bunch of plants since they were on sale I got ALOT. 









so I got to scaping.









and filled her up









I had a bag of some Eco complete and added this horrible stuff called Ironite.And this is what I used for substrate. Altho it has everything you want for your planted tank it has a little something you DONT. Ammonia. Too much actually. You can see the white grains in the eco. Theres alot more under the eco. 









Now for a couple days I thought this might be ok and help the tank cycle faster. Well I let a few days go by and plants started dieing off. BAD LIKE. So I had to pull everything. And this was my task last night.

















So I took all the plants out. Removed all the tainted substrate. And started draining the tank.










While the tank drained I felt this would be a good point to take a break.









Now in the planning (key word here is planning. Its more important then you think) of this tank I did some research (another kep word here) and seen what others were doing in the proper setups of their planted tanks. 
You see for a planted tank to thrive it really should be set up from step 1 with the idea of planting in mind. SO that being said When I was at the fred meyer returning the ironite I picked up some Peat moss and some sand. Since I had destroyed my Eco-complete and not wanting to drop another 25 bucks for a new bag I went to Home Depot and got some Schultz Aquatic soil.

I layed out the peat moss (aka Sphangium moss) In the area that I had planned on having









And above the peat I placed the schultz. In the open area I added white sand. for a beach effect. 









Now this time I took a hour REALLY seperating the clumps of Dwarf Hairgrass into small bushes. And I lined the "beach front" with the Dwarf hair and made a small trail that leads down the center of the tank. 









Behind the DH I planted some Money wort that I expect wil probably die off and get replaced. To keep the MW down I had to place a rock on top of it. And to the left of the DH I took my micro swords and made a grassy area there. and behind that I have a rock with some Java moss tied to it. 









With everything I had to use at this point in the tank I decided it was time to fill er up. 








Since I have everything in place I didn't wanna mess taht up so I had the water on low.

This made the tank take a while to fill.. And at this point.. Time for another smoke break.









As you can see I'm an idiot. And I forgot to wash the sand. (I assumed it was prewashed. NEVER ASSUME) And the water got kinda cloudy not too bad tho.










So I plugged in the Emp280 and let it get to work. I have a bunch of poly fill in it to help polish that crap out of the water.
After a couple hours it was looking alot better.









So sadly I lost most of my plants that were in the tank. I assume it is because of amonia burn. possibly the water was too cold because theres no heater on it. At any rate that will all get corrected. 
I guess i'm clairvoiant because yesterday even before I knew my plants were all hosed I ordered some off our own Dippy Eggs. So that will replace what I lost. And infact I think it will work out for the better because the plants that I had goten were kinda random. and didn't really have a theme. This tank will be much better off once the new plants get in there. And I have a feeling the plants Dip's is sending are going to be a lot better quality then the doomed to die ones I got from the pet store. Thanks again Joe!

Now as far as the details of my little tank here they are.
Its a 20L
I have a single PC 36w fixture on it. 
substrate is a layer of Peatmoss covered by Schultz aquatic and sprinkled with a small amount of eco-complete. And a sand trap of white beach sand. 
Ferts will be Flourish line of ferts. Comp,Excell and Phosphate. I will be adding some GW Macro ferts to the mix too. But am looking for other alternitives.

Plants are
Dwarf Hairgrass
Micro swords
Saggatira Stabula (sp,sorry)
Java moss
Moneywort

I'm wanting to add a Moss covered rock wall to conceal the intake of the filter. As it detracts from the overall look of the tank and I feel that it will give the illiusion that the tank is larger. 
I am just trying to figure out what moss I can use for that as Java moss tends to be too stringy and likes to travel alot. I'm thinking about getting som Riccia. Not totally sure yet.

The 75 will also be in for a major overhaul soon too.


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

Damnit-Break time-but ne how sunshine you have just made me think-I think i will do a only planted tank as well and see how i do at that-BTW nice job and great detail in that post-thanks for sharing!!!


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

Yeah I think you should. you will enjoy it alot. I never thought that I would get so entangled in this whole planted tank thing. But man its just as addictive as regular tanks with just fish. more so actually.

Oh a tip. You should notice that each bunch of plants is only about 3/4"-1" apart. the trick I used to get them planted so neatly without tearing up the area around the plant was to take a sharpie pen and press the back end of it into the soil. this will give you a nice 1/2" hole as deep as you need. This will make it alot easier to get a nice tight bunch of plants. It gives the roots a good amount of substrate to grow into.

The nicest thing is my ammonia dector is no longer in the TOXIC range. for the longest time in my 75 I thought the thing just didn't work because it never changed from yellow. After putting it in this tank with that Ironite in it I'm sure that it works perfectly.


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

First off, the tank looks fabulous! Great thread too*
I would actually love to help aquascape, but being here in Steeler town, I can't.. but from the net I can throw in my $.02!! lol--later








I can't tell you how many times I had all my plants sitting in bins and had my tank torn apart while I was trying to figure out what I was doing wrong, or fixing what I actually knew what I did wrong..lol --get used to it.. it took me about 8-10 months of hard work to get this hobby to the point where I wasn't screwing everything up lol
Sooooo,
I have some bad news for you.. organic sphagnum _peat_ is what is generally used in aquatic plant tanks, and not peat _moss_.







I'm not sure of the effect that the peat moss will have but if you let it go this way, you can tell us LOL 
--quick note: the amount used is directly related to how much light you will be using over the tank. (more light, less peat..2.5 PC and up gets a dusting.. in lower light, you can go up to about 3/4")

I don't know what is in it, so could you post the ingredients? Also, when you use peat, it is good to pre-soak it for about 4 days, because otherwise it isn't wet, and floats right to the top. Shultz Aquatic Plant Soil is great stuff.. but it is light. When I planted my sanchezi's 75g with a pre-soaked, 'organic sphagnum peat' bottom, I used Soilmaster, which is a great substrate, but it is light as well. ~_The effect was_~ that I had an ammonia reading of .25-.50 for a good 2 months in the tank. But the plants THRIVED! ~_solution_~ I would cap the peat with 1/2" sand.

I put in guppy's to acclimate the tank, and didn't add the sanchezi for over 2 months. They didn't seem to mind the super low pH, and the ammonia at all, they actually quadrupled in number. Which is odd, because guppy's tend to like pH neutral water.
I would like to add that the use of peat drops your pH down into the DIRT! It will most likely never get above 6pH in there, so keep that in mind. When I do it over again, I would use a tad less, cap it with 1/2" sand, have lots of plants ready, and not be in a rush to put my main fish in.

I'm sending you so much japonica.. lol it will look great if you use them tightly planted around your rocks, and behind your hairgrass and lilaeopsis urr, microsword. BTW, you can get away with planting microsword pretty deep. I think it looks it's best when planted about 1" deep.
Looks like you had a nice L. repens x arcuata hybrid, in the red plant that you had.. nice plant.. One more thing before I stop this disgustingly long post...
When you put stem plants in there, plant them individually, with the bottom leavesjust touching each other if you want a group look. If you leave them with the 1 weight wrapping up the whole bunch, the bottom stems will rot out

Did you gtet all that??







sorry for the brutal post



AKSkirmish said:


> Damnit-Break time-but ne how sunshine you have just made me think-I think i will do a only planted tank as well and see how i do at that-BTW nice job and great detail in that post-thanks for sharing!!!


IF you do it, go all the way or nothing, and you will be much happier with it..







please realize that it takes a good while to get used to running one of these types of tanks, so it isn't wham bam, a super planted tank.










> its just as addictive as regular tanks with just fish. more so actually.


quote of the year in aquatic plants forum lol


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

DiPpY eGgS said:


> Damnit-Break time-but ne how sunshine you have just made me think-I think i will do a only planted tank as well and see how i do at that-BTW nice job and great detail in that post-thanks for sharing!!!


IF you do it, go all the way or nothing, and you will be much happier with it..







please realize that it takes a good while to get used to running one of these types of tanks, so it isn't wham bam, a super planted tank.










> its just as addictive as regular tanks with just fish. more so actually.


quote of the year in aquatic plants forum lol
[/quote]
Thanks for the info dippy-i have been stockpiling all the goods i need for quite some time now-I have pretty much all i need-I just need to get off my lazy ass and do it!!!!!!I'm sure when i have acheived a look I like i will share with everyone!!!!!I'm just waiting to get rid of some fish first!!!


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

> Thanks for the info dippy-i have been stockpiling all the goods i need for quite some time now-I have pretty much all i need-I just need to get off my lazy ass and do it!!!!!!I'm sure when i have acheived a look I like i will share with everyone!!!!!I'm just waiting to get rid of some fish first!!!


Never a problem!! I love helping
Go pressurized CO2!! why mess around?? Go for it, and never have CO2 issues! (unless your diffusion method isn't right, or tank circulation is poor lol)

Oh and sunshine, I am sending you TONS of Heteranthera zosterifolia too.. I hope it lasts well in the package.. but the stuff is great to work with, it makes fabulous bushes when trimmed right!


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

Thanks again for the feed back Joe! honestly I think you have saved me the most time with the info from your old posts and info given to other members.

the "Peat Moss" I got was actually labled as Sphanagium peat. I guess I just assumed it was the same since peat is in the title. So I think I'm ok there. I did put about 1/2" or so so I guessed the right amount for my setup. I was afraid I put too much. I guess not. thats good to know.

I'm planning on doing exactly as you suggested with the japonica. and the tenellus I'm thinking of filling in behind the DH and maybe moving the Sagg back a little. 
the zosterifolia (I think is the name of the broadleaf stuff) I am going to put around the rock wall probably behind the Japonica. What grows higher? I don't wanna block out anything.

All the small plants DH and MS are about 1 1/2 in deep into the substrate. So they have a nice firm hold.

I'm gonna do my best to do this right. I'm gonna take my time. I will also be building a DIY CO2 system tonight. Since the wifey bought a 2ltr of root beer. (don't drink alot of soda so this was a lucky thing she got a 2ltr.) But I plan on killing it so I can make my CO2 thang.


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

> the "Peat Moss" I got was actually labled as Sphanagium peat


if it is labled sphagnum peat, then it is good lol can you post a pic of the bag?

The zosterifolia grows any way you make it grow.. great aquascaping plant, from foreground to background

Dwarf hairgrass does better about 3/4 to .5" deep


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

DiPpY eGgS said:


> > Thanks for the info dippy-i have been stockpiling all the goods i need for quite some time now-I have pretty much all i need-I just need to get off my lazy ass and do it!!!!!!I'm sure when i have acheived a look I like i will share with everyone!!!!!I'm just waiting to get rid of some fish first!!!
> 
> 
> Never a problem!! I love helping
> ...


LOl-Thanks I will quit hijacking bs's thread now-Ill start a Thread in due time sir!!!!!


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

> I'm gonna do my best to do this right. I'm gonna take my time. I will also be building a DIY CO2 system tonight. Since the wifey bought a 2ltr of root beer. (don't drink alot of soda so this was a lucky thing she got a 2ltr.) But I plan on killing it so I can make my CO2 thang.


Awesome. The best way to go is certainly pressurized. But the DIY and the excell will do great for you for now.. you will see especially if you get some good growth and stuff in there, you will want to go pressurized eventually.



> LOl-Thanks I will quit hijacking bs's thread now-Ill start a Thread in due time sir!!!!!


OOH!! I can't wait to see this site have a myriad of awesome planted tank guys who know their stuff, with great looking tanks! So interesting! lol


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

DiPpY eGgS said:


> > I'm gonna do my best to do this right. I'm gonna take my time. I will also be building a DIY CO2 system tonight. Since the wifey bought a 2ltr of root beer. (don't drink alot of soda so this was a lucky thing she got a 2ltr.) But I plan on killing it so I can make my CO2 thang.
> 
> 
> Awesome. The best way to go is certainly pressurized. But the DIY and the excell will do great for you for now.. you will see especially if you get some good growth and stuff in there, you will want to go pressurized eventually.
> ...


For sure!!!!The look of a planted tank is unreal-Your pics help us the most(being able to see what can be acheived with alittle hard work and some time)


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

DiPpY eGgS said:


> > the "Peat Moss" I got was actually labled as Sphanagium peat
> 
> 
> if it is labled sphagnum peat, then it is good lol can you post a pic of the bag?
> ...


I will pull the DHG up a little tonight when I get home. I will post up a pic of the peat too.

Ok so with my idea of the DIY co2 do you think I should even worry aboutshutting the thing down somehow durring night time? or with no fish will the PH swings make any diff? Or do I even need to worry about PH at night?


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

> Ok so with my idea of the DIY co2 do you think I should even worry aboutshutting the thing down somehow durring night time? or with no fish will the PH swings make any diff? Or do I even need to worry about PH at night?


I don't think that the CO2 levels would get that high at night, but if you wake up and your fish are gasping at the top, then I would disconnect the hose.. You need to have a check valve anyway, so there ya go.


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

Ok. So I went ahead and built a little DIY co2 thing. Its working good. flowin about 1 bubble a sec. I have it goin into the intake of my emp 280 so it can get chopped up like you're does with your XP3. 
My issue with this method is its a HOB and thus at the outlet it has decent amount of surface agatation. So most likley I am losing alot of my CO2. For now this works I guess and its better then nothing. I'm sure some is making it back into the tank. At least this way I don't have to worry about crashing the PH.

I also moved the Betta and the oto's into the tank.

I left half of the moneywort out of the new tank and put it in the plant tub. Over the last couple days a couple stems of it started growing roots out of the side of the plant. I don't like the look or that they may strangle another neghboring plant. Can I break off these water roots without hurting the plant?


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## benJii (Feb 17, 2005)

Great looking tank, I really like that schultz soil, if I go to setup another tank I think I will use that, or possibly ADA's Amazonia.

I really like your aquascape, but I think you have a reason to worry, from the looks of it, once those plants get acclimated and going, you're going to have a gigantic mass of plants. Man I could never take a toke-up break setting up a tank, my tank would be upside-down, backwards, and filled with whip cream. Altoids, the choice of the professionals


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

Tibs said:


> Great looking tank, I really like that schultz soil, if I go to setup another tank I think I will use that, or possibly ADA's Amazonia.
> 
> I really like your aquascape, but I think you have a reason to worry, from the looks of it, once those plants get acclimated and going, you're going to have a gigantic mass of plants. Man I could never take a toke-up break setting up a tank, my tank would be upside-down, backwards, and filled with whip cream. Altoids, the choice of the professionals


At this point there really isn't a whole lot in there. once I get the stuff Dippys sending over there will be alot more in there. I will be carefull to plan out the placements. I lost most of all the stuff in the first set up. Crappy cause it was about 30 bucks worth of plants. *shrug* part of the learning curve. luckly I got then when they were half off.

So my DIY CO2 is running strong now. I'm droppin about 2 bubbles per sec. Plus the excell dousing will do the tank very well. 
the Bettas also lovin the new new house. The sand box is gettin a little dirty but I have new ghost shrimp in there so hopefully they will keep it clean.

yeah altoids rock. but that can hasen't seen an altoid in a while. lol


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

> Can I break off these water roots without hurting the plant?


yes, you can prune these off, but they will grow back. My tank is full of those roots, you just can't see them much








You can also trim your plants at those nodes and replant, as long as there are a few leaves on it








Ya, DIY CO2 will help, but the waterfall is hurting it's effectiveness is all. See what happens
Hope you get those plants today!! Let me know!! -Ya, about the learning curve.. I killed so many plants it is silly lol


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

DiPpY eGgS said:


> > Can I break off these water roots without hurting the plant?
> 
> 
> yes, you can prune these off, but they will grow back. My tank is full of those roots, you just can't see them much
> ...


I am working on a better way of dispensing the CO2. I have a lime wood airstone and a reg one. do you think either would be better for this purpouse? i seen this good write up on a CO2 reactor that uses a power head that pushes the water along with the CO2 thru a poly pad and mixes it there. I'm thinking that would be a good idea to cover the CO2 and filtration. If I decide to make one I will post up some pics.

Right now I'm working on another project to make Emp filters 3X more efficent. Wife is gonna put a cap on how many projects I can have at once. Appartment gets too cluttered and the baby room is turning into my workshop. lol.


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

BlackSunshine420 said:


> > Can I break off these water roots without hurting the plant?
> 
> 
> yes, you can prune these off, but they will grow back. My tank is full of those roots, you just can't see them much
> ...


I am working on a better way of dispensing the CO2. I have a lime wood airstone and a reg one. do you think either would be better for this purpouse? i seen this good write up on a CO2 reactor that uses a power head that pushes the water along with the CO2 thru a poly pad and mixes it there. I'm thinking that would be a good idea to cover the CO2 and filtration. If I decide to make one I will post up some pics.

Right now I'm working on another project to make Emp filters 3X more efficent. Wife is gonna put a cap on how many projects I can have at once. Appartment gets too cluttered and the baby room is turning into my workshop. lol.
[/quote]
ya, that sounds like a good idea for the reactor. I built one like that about 4 weeks before I got pressurized lol.
Let me know about the plants!


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

DiPpY eGgS said:


> > Can I break off these water roots without hurting the plant?
> 
> 
> yes, you can prune these off, but they will grow back. My tank is full of those roots, you just can't see them much
> ...


I am working on a better way of dispensing the CO2. I have a lime wood airstone and a reg one. do you think either would be better for this purpouse? i seen this good write up on a CO2 reactor that uses a power head that pushes the water along with the CO2 thru a poly pad and mixes it there. I'm thinking that would be a good idea to cover the CO2 and filtration. If I decide to make one I will post up some pics.

Right now I'm working on another project to make Emp filters 3X more efficent. Wife is gonna put a cap on how many projects I can have at once. Appartment gets too cluttered and the baby room is turning into my workshop. lol.
[/quote]
ya, that sounds like a good idea for the reactor. I built one like that about 4 weeks before I got pressurized lol.
Let me know about the plants!








[/quote]

Well I'm currently banned from dropping any more coin on the tanks. have to save a few hundred for a trip back to cali. So I will have to hold off on building the reactor. 
So should I use the limewood diffuser or the regular air stone?

I will let you know bout the plants. hopefully they are sitting on my door step today when I get home. Along with a few bags of eco complete.


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

> So should I use the limewood diffuser or the regular air stone?


either, just as long as you are getting into your filter so it has a chance to be chopped up even smaller








Isn't that what you are doing?


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

DiPpY eGgS said:


> > So should I use the limewood diffuser or the regular air stone?
> 
> 
> either, just as long as you are getting into your filter so it has a chance to be chopped up even smaller
> ...


Well I have the line tapped into the filter without a stone on it. I figured at that point it didn't need a stone to go thru. Think I should add the stone? the EMPs have a pretty big intake I could fit one in it.


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

eh, it don't really matter, but if you want to, go for it


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

in that case i will save the effort for my "other" Emperor project.


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

OK!
time for the update. I have received new plants from the Man. and We have an official planted tank now. I've added he CO2 and the results are AMAZING! now my Java moss was semi pearling before but now EVERYTHING is pumping air into the water like you wouldn't belive. Seriously it looks like theres a air leak in my tank because I have bubbles comming up everywhere! It was actually an amazing site and was quite exciting to have a real visual cue that the plants are not only looking great but they are doing great as well.

So let me share with you all the updated pics of the tank. And a pic of the worlds happyist betta.










Here you can also see the biggest of the ghost shrimp that are in the tank swimming around with the betta.

























Sorry for the crap quality. But you can kinda see my Moneywort pearling also!


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

Looking great, sunshine!
You need that zosterifolia in there!! is the left side of the tank always that dark?
The japonica looks especially great around hardscaping, like behind lower lying rocks and driftwood, with taller stem plants behind that.. *ahem* put it behind some rocks, and then put the zosterifolia behind it *ahem* or the money wart *ahem* LOL
the zosterifolia can make awesome bushes.. even tall bushes, so utilize that awesome plant!
This tank is going to be very nice once you work out all the bugs and get it balanced!!


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

thanks! yeah I do have a little of the Zos in there on the right side of the tank. But need to heal the majority of it from the shipping. I will still be rearranging some. I don't know where else I would want to put the money wort and most of the rear space of the tank is already taken. The Zos kinda confuses me as to the best way of planting it since it has alot of waterroots. all the stuff that had stem roots I placed in the tank.

Heres a pic with the left side lit up after I flipped the light. I had just got done messing with the sand so it was a little cloudy.


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

Lots of the zosterfolia that I sent you were the very tops of the plants, therefore it won't have roots yet, and is some of the healthiest parts of the plant! Mine are about 15" in my tank.. it will grow tall if you group it together.
It will bush up if you trim the tops off once they get going. You can keep it very short, medium, or tall.


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

DiPpY eGgS said:


> Lots of the zosterfolia that I sent you were the very tops of the plants, therefore it won't have roots yet, and is some of the healthiest parts of the plant! Mine are about 15" in my tank.. it will grow tall if you group it together.
> It will bush up if you trim the tops off once they get going. You can keep it very short, medium, or tall.


ahh ok. I figured as much. I will put the ends in the ground so they can establish some foot holds.


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## benJii (Feb 17, 2005)

The tank looks great, how many WPG are you running? I have been debating setting up for C02 (yeast) for a while now, rather then my excel, but just havent broken down to it.


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

1.8WPG. Do it. do both. the plants will deff thrive. CO2 makes a huge diff. Its true.


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## benJii (Feb 17, 2005)

BlackSunshine420 said:


> 1.8WPG. Do it. do both. the plants will deff thrive. CO2 makes a huge diff. Its true.


Wow, at 1.8 I would figure that it wouldn't make much of a difference at all, but your tank is only 12" tall. Your doing pressurized right? I don't have the budget for that, but I think I might attempt a yeast reactor, I'm not saving much money using excel.


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

Tibs said:


> 1.8WPG. Do it. do both. the plants will deff thrive. CO2 makes a huge diff. Its true.


Wow, at 1.8 I would figure that it wouldn't make much of a difference at all, but your tank is only 12" tall. Your doing pressurized right? I don't have the budget for that, but I think I might attempt a yeast reactor, I'm not saving much money using excel.
[/quote]

Nope I'm doing the 2ltr yeast can. and yeah I didn't think at such low light it would make a diff. Man I was wrong. the tank is a 20l so yeah 12x12x30

If you look THRU they tank you can see the bottles. the actual yeast reactor and then the catch can.


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

I'm thinking about redoing it again so I wanted to post a pic of my tank as it is looking today. OnceI got rid of the BGA everything else just started falling into place. And I'm sticking to a strict fert schedule. 
I added a bunch of snails for cleanup and things are lookin good again. 
View attachment 121186


I added a new residnet as well.
Green Dwarf Pike.


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

BlackSunshine said:


> I'm thinking about redoing it again so I wanted to post a pic of my tank as it is looking today. OnceI got rid of the BGA everything else just started falling into place. And I'm sticking to a strict fert schedule.
> I added a bunch of snails for cleanup and things are lookin good again.
> View attachment 121186
> 
> ...


lol!
Looking good Justin! Heh, very nice indeed.. cant wait for the rescape! remember to keep most/all stem plants or tall plants in the back








again, nice!

EDIT: your taller plants ARE in the back lol


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

Thanks Joe! I dunno bout the rescape. It would be tough with the sand in there so I think I might just wind up doing some minor rearranging and trimming. I want to work that driftwood in there closer to the middle or rear of the tank to add some to the depth.


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## JustJoshinYa (Mar 25, 2006)

Wow, its looking great BS420, i love the way its grown and filled in alot since you started. be sure to post pics as soon as you have it rearranged. keep up the great work!


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

BlackSunshine said:


> Thanks Joe! I dunno bout the rescape. It would be tough with the sand in there so I think I might just wind up doing some minor rearranging and trimming. I want to work that driftwood in there closer to the middle or rear of the tank to add some to the depth.


Ya, just trim it, and rearrange, you will be good to go! ~nice, can't wait for the next pics


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

The leafy plant up front is growing like crazy. It started 4-5 stems and has easily doubled. I could probably break down the parent 10 stems down to 30 or so plants and replant them all. I'm sure they would be all back up to full size again in a week ot two. I just wish I knew the name of them so I can try selling some off. 
Actually I take it back everythigns growing real good. I just wish I could get the plants in the big tank to grow like this. I think I need to add CO2 there as well. but there is alot of surface agatation with the overflow so most would probably be lost.
Getting rid of that BGA did wonders for the tank.


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## C0Rey (Jan 7, 2006)

wowoyour fist post was like watching TV. love the breaks man, wish i could have one now








tank looks great, bet that betta is a happy camper. GL!


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

*sigh* Well he's in betta heaven now. He died last week or so due to the BGA out break.


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

Did some trimming. So hell why not time for an update.
Some pics of the tank

















































And some of the pike.


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## ~Silly~Spy (Mar 12, 2005)

wow looks good man.


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## Round Head (Sep 26, 2005)

That's a nice looking setup.








What are those grassy plants?


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

Lookin' good!

Great job


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

Round Head said:


> That's a nice looking setup.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The ones on the far rear left or the front left or the center rear?
To the far rear left I have 
E. tennleus - Chain sword
In the front left Is Micro swords
and center rear is dwarf hairgrass. 
To the right of the tank is Blaxa Japonica
Disreguard these pics. I've rescaped the right side of the tank again last night. I'll get pics after I get my roseafolia in there and have some more color contrasting.

I also readded my other 32w light so my total watts are now around 96 or so. but only for a few hours a day. I need high lighting to help out the growth of my dragons flame.


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## therizman1 (Jan 6, 2006)

The tank is looking pretty good!


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