# 10g and 75g tanks



## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

Here are some pics of my 10g and 75g planted tanks.. I guess they look kind of the same from before, but there are some changes.. I think. LOL
At least my 75g has way less algea problems now







I would have posted pics of my 3rd tank, but the scape is awful as of the moment.. lol
I will include a shot of one of my CO2 setups as well.

suggestions/comments/questions welcome as always..that is why I post pics


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## pamonster (Jun 26, 2003)

Wow, I basicly never want to look at my own tanks again, thanks....

lol, great looking tanks, I would love to have one like that!


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## RB 32 (Mar 2, 2005)

Great looking tanks!


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

pamonster said:


> Great looking tanks!


Thank you very much!


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## Blacklotus (Aug 19, 2005)

Nice tanks, any fish in them?


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

Blacklotus said:


> Nice tanks, any fish in them?


Thanks for the posts guys

The 10g has 5 Neon tetras, 4 ottocinclus cats, and I don't know how many Amano, and Cherry shrimp.

The 75g has a Compressus, and a SAE for now.. I want to add some Amano, and cherry shrimp in that ttank as well.. MAYBE another SAE, but that is risky.. When there are more than 1 in there, the way they group up and hover around really aggitates him LOL


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## Landon (Feb 24, 2005)

Some of the best looking setups ive seen!


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

How much have those aquatic gardens run ya so far? Especially interested in the co2 and lighting in that respect...


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

Landon said:


> Some of the best looking setups ive seen!


that was one of the nicest things I've heard.. thanks man!


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

Mettle said:


> How much have those aquatic gardens run ya so far? Especially interested in the co2 and lighting in that respect...


Well, I will give you exact numbers. For the 75g I have a 4x55w bright kit from AH Supply. That was $124.99 I dropped about $48 on the enclosure. 
the 10g has a 1x38w bright kit that was $41.99. I have $30 invested in that enclosure. Add some shipping to that, and that is what I spent.

For CO2, I don't know how I came across such an insane deal. I was calling around to some local welding shops, and this 1 called Jackson Welding and Supply Co. was selling used 20lb cylanders for $30 bucks. I bought 2 for $60+ tax. I doubt anyone will find a better deal than that, if they aren't given to them.
I have 2 Milwaukee regulators I bought from ebay. they were $70 a piece. So, $140 + shipping. I dropped some loot, saved a bunch of cash getting gregwatson.com ferts, joined the local plant club for trading rare and hard to find plants, and learning more about the hobby.


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## MR.FREEZ (Jan 26, 2004)

i really like the think planted tanks, i admire you guys

that are able to do it


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

MR.FREEZ said:


> i really like the think planted tanks, i admire you guys
> 
> that are able to do it


Thanks man, but it was really only the decision to buy what was needed, and research.. oh and patience and a 'little' maintenance lol


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## rchan11 (May 6, 2004)

They look great! Now I'm going to pop a CO2 fizz tab in my tank so mine can look like yours.


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## lewis (Sep 13, 2005)

they look great how do you keep the plants alive so long mine die and never grow.


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

rchan11 said:


> they look great how do you keep the plants alive so long mine die and never grow.


Thanks

Most plants need strong light, and food. If you have strong light, you will also need CO2. Balancing light, ferts, and CO2 is what keeps plants alive in the aquarium

You don't really need CO2 if you have low light plants, with low lighting.


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## TimmyTeam (Jun 20, 2003)

both those tanks are sweet.....i never knew a 10g could look so good!


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## H4N (Nov 10, 2005)

Beautiful tanks yet again dippy







. your such a inspiration on me, thats why i'm in process of doing mine haha and thx again for all the wonderful help


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## rbp75 (May 2, 2004)

Looking sweet dippy, Id love to start a small tank but I have enough work with my 75.


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

timmyshultis said:


> Looking sweet dippy, Id love to start a small tank but I have enough work with my 75.


Nick.. Thanks
I have some plants for u if you want them! (he lives near me ppl







) I have big Ludwigia repens-rubin for you if yours haven't grown yet.. mine were growing out the top of the tank! lol
I also have some Elatine triandra, tiger Vals, and some Heteranthera zosterifolia if you are interested.. Let me know!


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

oh, and some Ludwigia 'Cuba' if you want to try that tough plant.. simply amazing looking plant
it needs room and light!! Oh, and it loves nitrate and iron more than any other plant I have ever grown lol


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## mr.bearhasyourlady (Jun 1, 2004)

nice planted tanks


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

DiPpY eGgS said:


> How much have those aquatic gardens run ya so far? Especially interested in the co2 and lighting in that respect...


Well, I will give you exact numbers. For the 75g I have a 4x55w bright kit from AH Supply. That was $124.99 I dropped about $48 on the enclosure. 
the 10g has a 1x38w bright kit that was $41.99. I have $30 invested in that enclosure. Add some shipping to that, and that is what I spent.

For CO2, I don't know how I came across such an insane deal. I was calling around to some local welding shops, and this 1 called Jackson Welding and Supply Co. was selling used 20lb cylanders for $30 bucks. I bought 2 for $60+ tax. I doubt anyone will find a better deal than that, if they aren't given to them.
I have 2 Milwaukee regulators I bought from ebay. they were $70 a piece. So, $140 + shipping. I dropped some loot, saved a bunch of cash getting gregwatson.com ferts, joined the local plant club for trading rare and hard to find plants, and learning more about the hobby.
[/quote]

Wow, sounds like some great deals there! Very impressive. I doubt I'd run across any fantastic deals like that here in Canada. But it's still neat to think about, at least. Maybe somewhere down the line I'll start my own aquatic garden.

What are you using for a substrate?

Can you recommend any good websites for learning/reading about this stuff?

Thanks!


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

Thanks, mr.bearhasyourlady! Appreciated!

Mettle,

Maybe contact AH Supply, the owner, Kim, is a very reasonable person to deal with. There are other types of lighting you can get from Big Al's I'm sure! Coralife, and Jebo are good lights.. There are a few others as well. Just be sure to get either 5500k-6700k-or 8000k bulbs if you can..for fresh water plants.

It seems like you have patience. That is very key in getting great deals. Just call around to your local welding shops, beverage companies, dry ice distributors.. etc.. Just tell them what your looking for and you never know what you will find.

That tank has 80% Flourite, and 20% onyx sand. Works great, but if I were to do it again, I would never drop that kind of $$ on substrate... I know of much cheaper stuff that works just as good or better.

I found this stuff called "Soilmaster Select" 'Charcoal' color, at a gardening center called Lesco. Stuff is perfect for planted tanks, and it cost $17 to fill my other 75g that I didn't post a pic of--it needs scaped badly LOL --there is also another substrate that I would get if you can't find Soilmaster found at most gardening centers called "Shultz Aquatic Plant Soil." It is a bit more $$ then the Soilmaster, but it works just as good.. but the color isn't as nice.

As for the websites to learn about planted tanks, This site's aquarium plant forum is good, aquaticplantcentral.com, plantedtank.com, plantgeek.com are all good.

Hope that helped some


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

It most certainly did! Thanks for the tips on the substrates, I'll read into it more for sure. I've been thinking for a long time about doing a nice planted tank. Not sure what size I'd want to go with, though. I'd want something tall in order to allow for tall growing plants to have that kind of room, but not too tall of course, as in that case the light wouldn't be able to penetrate downwards.

It's all stuff I'll have to look into more. I'll definitely keep an eye out for sales and such. Big Al's up here is just too expensive. There is a place out in BC though that has some decent prices for new stuff... My best bet though in terms of lighting is to wait around for some of the guys who're into salt water in the local aquarium club to sell off or upgrade their lighting. There's always good deals that come up. I actually missed one a while ago on a 4x55w cf fixture. Still kicking myself over that!


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## Cobra (Sep 25, 2004)

Those tanks are superb, you should try competing in that annual AGA tank competition. 
The only noticable thing that hinders the beauty of your set up is the brown algae on the plant tops in your 10gal.

I shouldnt even be saying anything bad caus Im a dumb f*ck when it comes to planted tanks. All of mine are plastic.









Excellent set ups once again, I wish to have some thing as organic and lush in my tanks someday.









One more thing.. Is it just me or does this thing look like some kinda reject star wars droid. The way those needls are placed make it look like a real mellow robot.









Boy am I bored haha.........ha









View attachment 92005


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## Winkyee (Feb 17, 2003)

Really sweet tanks and info.
Thanks








I hope mine becomes manageable over the next few months.


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

Cobra said:


> Really sweet tanks and info.
> Thanks
> 
> 
> ...


Let us know how it's comming, I for one don't want to leave you in the dark if I can help









Your tank looks sweet, I would love to see how it progresses!!


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## scent troll (Apr 4, 2005)

damn those are some nice tanks! very...green...no fish in those fish tanks are there? lol 
nice anyways


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## Guest (Jan 25, 2006)

I gave up on my 10g planted


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

nattereri2000 said:


> I gave up on my 10g planted


You are kidding me, danny!!?? Why? you were doing so good! What happened buddy?

Here is a pic after 3 days growth...


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## scent troll (Apr 4, 2005)

how hard is it getting good growth in your tank? just a matter of watts per gallon on lighting? ive always wanted a heavily planted tank like that. i have a 30 i could do some stuff with


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

nattereri2000 said:


> how hard is it getting good growth in your tank? just a matter of watts per gallon on lighting? ive always wanted a heavily planted tank like that.  i have a 30 i could do some stuff with


It seriously depends on a few things..

It depends on how bad you want a nicely planted tank first of all.. If you answered honestly, "I want a thick, lush, perrty, planted tank BAAADD!!"

-Chances are you will be successful LOL

You have to be willing to research what you will need/need to know, willing to drop the $$ on the stuff, willing to do proper maintenance and pruning, and willing to try and keep it up with patience and confidence.

The way to get great growth is ALWAYS finding the balancing act between light, ferts, and CO2. That is for a high tech tank like these. Low light tanks are a lot different. They grow slower, so does the algea, so it can be much less work over time. The balance is usually found between fish load, ferts and lights.

Hope that helped


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## scent troll (Apr 4, 2005)

interesting. ive had my fair share of live plants but nothing abundant. maybe ill do a little self education and look into it. probably leave it to the pro's like yourself though


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

^^Nothing is impossible!!

I have been doing this seriously for about 9 months only.. mid April will be a year.

It has been tough at times, I have killed my share of plants, and dealt with algea farms, but i'm getting the hang of it..

I would tell you all of my problems/solutions, and help as best as I can, but I can assure you, problems will arise.. not that they can't be overcome!

But most ppl give up waaayyy too early with planted. I guess we North Americans are into instant gratification too much.. If that is your case, it may not be for you.
but if you have patience, or want to build patience







this can be an opportunity.


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## Gordeez (Sep 21, 2003)

Holy Sheep sh*t!!!
Those tanks are Superb!!!!
At first, I thought your plants were fake man, they looked to good.
Damn Impressicve looking Tanks!


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

Brujo said:


> Holy Sheep sh*t!!!
> Those tanks are Superb!!!!
> At first, I thought your plants were fake man, they looked to good.
> Damn Impressicve looking Tanks!


Thanks brujo!

It would be nice to see more guys going planted! Great for water quality.. great for fish's well being. 
You can also have more little fish in the tank, because there are so many hiding places.

My Compressus doesn't bite or mess with the plants at all


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

I love the 10G its beautifull, I also love the 75G, but I think you need some fish in it lol


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

Innes said:


> I love the 10G its beautifull, I also love the 75G, but I think you need some fish in it lol


It has my Compressus in it!







there is also a SAE, and I will be getting some otto's and some shrimp for it too 









10g has neons and algea crew


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## Winkyee (Feb 17, 2003)

DiPpY eGgS said:


> I love the 10G its beautifull, I also love the 75G, but I think you need some fish in it lol


It has my Compressus in it!







there is also a SAE, and I will be getting some otto's and some shrimp for it too









10g has neons and algea crew








[/quote]

ottos = Otocinclus?
The shrimp are pretty cool. What kind are you going to get?
I've got a couple with eggs now and a few more with nice full saddles ready to drop .


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

Dr.Zoidberg said:


> I love the 10G its beautifull, I also love the 75G, but I think you need some fish in it lol


It has my Compressus in it!







there is also a SAE, and I will be getting some otto's and some shrimp for it too









10g has neons and algea crew








[/quote]

ottos = Otocinclus?
The shrimp are pretty cool. What kind are you going to get?
I've got a couple with eggs now and a few more with nice full saddles ready to drop .
[/quote]

Yes, the ottocinclus. Great for dust algea, and green spot. But u need a ton of em lol

I get strictly Amano and Cherry shrimp, because they eat algea.. but with the P, small ghost shrimp might work in there too


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## Winkyee (Feb 17, 2003)

DiPpY eGgS said:


> Yes, the ottocinclus. Great for dust algea, and green spot. But u need a ton of em lol
> 
> I get strictly Amano and Cherry shrimp, because they eat algea.. but with the P, small ghost shrimp might work in there too


I added 8 last week. they are pretty active in searching for algae. 
All we get around here are ghost shrimp.
It's like a vacuum around here for anything out of the ordinary


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

Dr.Zoidberg said:


> Yes, the ottocinclus. Great for dust algea, and green spot. But u need a ton of em lol
> 
> I get strictly Amano and Cherry shrimp, because they eat algea.. but with the P, small ghost shrimp might work in there too


I added 8 last week. they are pretty active in searching for algae. 
All we get around here are ghost shrimp.
It's like a vacuum around here for anything out of the ordinary
[/quote]

you'll do good with just the ottos, then. They are quite tenacious









Just don't feed them on a regular basis, or they might wait out for the good food lol

You may want to try and find a SAE or 2, they eat black brush algea.. awfully ugly to look at, but I guess they think it's tasty.. If you get them, definately don't feed them much at all, because they can get very picky when they grow up. If they stick to a mostly algea diet, they are much better for your tank.


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