# 75 Gallon Update -- Added New Pics 7/1



## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

Moved some plants around to give my rhom more room to swim, not 100% happy with the new layout so I may end up moving things around again. I just snapped this picture real quick, I'll take a bit more time and get some better pictures along with some of my rhom in the next few days.

Click the picture for better quality...


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## DUMP TRUCK (Sep 8, 2010)

f*ckin sweet


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## Mr. Hannibal (Feb 21, 2003)

I can't believe you are not 100% happy with the new layout... I find it beautiful my friend, great job!


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## rhom15 (Dec 20, 2009)

nothing wrong with that


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## balluupnetme (Oct 23, 2006)

I think it rocks


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

JoeDizzleMPLS said:


> Moved some plants around to give my rhom more room to swim, not 100% happy with the new layout so I may end up moving things around again. I just snapped this picture real quick, I'll take a bit more time and get some better pictures along with some of my rhom in the next few days.
> 
> Click the picture for better quality...
> 
> View attachment 203059


I agree with all. Beautiful aquarium. Tastefully done.


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## His Majesty (Apr 5, 2005)

looking real nice joe


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## superbite (Mar 9, 2009)

looks good! keep it up


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

Thanks guys... It's not that I don't like it, I just think it could look better -- it was tough trying to come up with a scape that looks really full without taking swimming space away from my rhom. It also seems like all of the plants are the same size right now, but obviously that will change.

I think it will look better when it grows in a bit more and I can move those little plants around that are just kind of randomly placed around the front -- I'm just trying to grow those out for now. I dealt with some major melting with the crypts for about a month after I set the tank up, I was expecting it with the C. balansae since it was grown in a high light tank and then shipped, but the C. wendtii that I already had melted quite a bit too, I'm guessing it was the 2 days spent in a Rubbermaid tub. I would guess that half of the C. balansae died back in the first few weeks and it didn't really start growing until a couple weeks ago -- now it's sending out new leaves pretty quick and I even have a couple 6-8" tall runners coming out along the back.


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## Da' Manster! (Sep 1, 2009)

Nicely done, Joe!..







....No complaints here!...Your new layout rocks like OZZY's BLIZZARD OF OZZ album!...


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## e46markus (Dec 9, 2010)

You always have amazing aquascapes, really awesome tank and your rhom is looking good too.


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## Lifer374 (Dec 5, 2003)

JoeDizzleMPLS said:


> Thanks guys... It's not that I don't like it, I just think it could look better --











When you say things like that directed toward a tank that looks this good, thats when you know you have an addiction to aquascaping...
Jeez Joe, that tank looks really good sir....Great job.

Like to hear some details that I'm sure you already posted somewhere.

Mainly lighting and ferts. 
What kind of fixture? How many bulbs? What kind of bulbs? Lighting schedule?
What Kinds of ferts and what schedule? 
I read that you were switching over to dry ferts...I did that myself over a year ago and don't EVER see myself going back to liquid....With the exception of the Glutaraldehyde. And that reminds me, did you get your hands on any of that yet? If your not having luck and are still interested let me know and I'll figure something out.


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

Gorgeous tank.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

Lifer374 said:


> Thanks guys... It's not that I don't like it, I just think it could look better --











When you say things like that directed toward a tank that looks this good, thats when you know you have an addiction to aquascaping...
Jeez Joe, that tank looks really good sir....Great job.

Like to hear some details that I'm sure you already posted somewhere.

Mainly lighting and ferts. 
What kind of fixture? How many bulbs? What kind of bulbs? Lighting schedule?
What Kinds of ferts and what schedule? 
I read that you were switching over to dry ferts...I did that myself over a year ago and don't EVER see myself going back to liquid....With the exception of the Glutaraldehyde. And that reminds me, did you get your hands on any of that yet? If your not having luck and are still interested let me know and I'll figure something out.
[/quote]

I have a dual T8 fixture that I made myself using the guts of a shoplight with two 6500k bulbs and a Coralife dual T5NO with one 10,000k and one roseate. All of my lights are on from 3-11pm each day.

I dose 3/8 tsp KNO3, 1/8 tsp KH2PO4, and 1/8 tsp CSM+B Plantex twice a week -- once immediately after the weekly water change and again 4 days later. I used to dose Excel daily on my tanks, but I haven't been dosing this one for a while now and haven't really noticed any difference in growth. I still like to have it on hand for algae emergencies and I'll buy the stuff you told me about as soon as I finish the jug I have here.


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## jp80911 (Apr 3, 2008)

i gotta get me some of those dry fert, did you get them from the website you gave me a while back?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

Is this the site I told you about?

http://www.aquariumfertilizer.com/

That's where I got mine.


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## Lifer374 (Dec 5, 2003)

Not sure that this is where Joe buys his from JP, but this is where I've been getting mine with no issues at all.

http://aquariumfertilizer.com/index.asp

EDIT -----------

LOL
Didn't see Joe's post till just now. Sorry.


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## Red Sox Fanatic (Jun 13, 2011)

Your layout is gorgeous!!!!


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## jp80911 (Apr 3, 2008)

thanks Joe and Lifer, that's the website I got from Joe, I didn't order yet cuz I had no idea what I need, there are so many dry ferts on that size. do I just get all of them? I need to spend sometime researching but its difficult with two kids running around keeping me away from my computer.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

You'll want KNO3, KH2PO4, and CSM+B Plantex since those are what most dosing methods are built around, you could order others down the road if you notice that your plants are showing signs of nutrient deficiency.


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## jp80911 (Apr 3, 2008)

Cool thanks Joe, how long does 1lb each of those last? I have a total water volume of ~240g


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

That should last you a good while -- I've been dosing my 75 gallon and my 40 breeder for the last 2 1/2 months and the bags look almost the same as when I first got them.


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## jp80911 (Apr 3, 2008)

Cool, thanks. I'll order some when I almost done with my liquid fert, so you just dose them into the water or into the soil? can i still use root tabs? or there's won't be need for root tabs if I start dosing dry fert?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

You can dissolve them in water before dumping them in or just dump them right into the tank. You can keep using root tabs as well, it won't hurt -- especially near heavy root feeders like Cryptocoryne and Echinodorus species.


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## serrasalmus_ve (Feb 12, 2008)

Nice setup congratulations


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## Ibanez247 (Nov 9, 2006)

Once again very nice setup and plant growth. I just recently stopped dosing excel myself and Im seeing how the substrate works alone. ITs that eco complete stuff and supposedly has nutrients in it. I may get some of the stuff you listed and try that out. So you dont use CO2 then? My lighting is practically identical to yours so if you arent using any CO2 I will try the dry ferts and see how that goes.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

Excel is useful in that it acts as an algaecide when you first dump it into your tank and as it breaks down, it turns into an organic carbon source for your plants. I've been lucky with this tank and never had any algae outbreaks, not even mild ones in the beginning, so I decided to stop dosing Excel and see if I noticed any difference in plant growth without the extra carbon. So far, the plants seem to be growing very well without it, but I plan on experimenting a bit more by getting back on a daily Excel dosing schedule in a month or so to see if plant growth picks up at all.

I don't use pressurized CO2 -- not because I don't need it, because I think most tanks can benefit from a properly set up pressurized system -- but because my system seems to work pretty well for me and I don't want to mess with something that works. If I added CO2, I'm sure I would experience much better growth, but then I'd have to prune all the time and as of right now, I like the extra free time that my low tech setups provide.


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## Lifer374 (Dec 5, 2003)

The plants in my tank grow very slowly being a low light/low tech set up. I've come to appreciate that greatly because I just don't have the time right now to focus on aquascaping. Maybe down the road, but not now. 
The bad thing about it is once I start neglecting dosing ferts my plants take a hard dive quickly and it takes a great deal of time to get them looking good again.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

Just built my new computer yesterday so I wanted to test it out a bit with some pictures, took these this afternoon. Click the pictures for better quality...


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## e46markus (Dec 9, 2010)

Amazing rhom, how big is he?


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## Ba20 (Jan 29, 2003)

Joe well done


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

Thanks guys, rhom is around 7-8"


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## Smoke (Sep 8, 2010)




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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

Tank looks great!

Nice job


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## balluupnetme (Oct 23, 2006)

That fish looks amazing good job


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## TheCableGuy (Feb 22, 2005)

Fish and tank look amazing Joe. 
Thanks for sharing...and giving me ideas


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## lorteti hr (May 29, 2011)

very nice rhom man...and setup....wow...


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