# Starting Over (Again) **UPDATE**



## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

I decided to start my 75 gallon over from scratch so last night I emptied the tank, scooped out all the old gravel and replaced it with sand... the sand turned out a little lighter than I had planned, but I think it will look alright after I add some stuff. This is just a rough start to the hardscape, I still need some more driftwood and I'd like to add some rocks and gravel to make the substrate look more natural.

I will start planting it in the next couple weeks, so far all that's in there is some java moss from GG and some e. tenellus from maknwar (thanks guys).

The tank is housing my largest rhom, definitely my favorite fish that I own, this is the same rhom that I picked up last year that was REALLY skinny, but he turned out pretty good. Anyways, here are the pics...


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## jp80911 (Apr 3, 2008)

very nice setup so far, and the rhom is beautiful.
do you know the collection point? the last picture looks like a vinny???


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

thanks man, i'm pretty happy with it so far... the importer said he was collected in peru


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## Gerrad (Jan 5, 2008)

Great rhom! The face remind's me alot of my 6" xingu I use to have.


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## FEEFA (Nov 19, 2007)

The tank and fish look great Joe






















I really like what you've done with the driftwood


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## Trigga (Jul 1, 2006)

Looks great man.. That rhom is tight


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

yeah man, i love this fish... great personality. i'll have to shoot a vid of him going crazy every time someone goes near the tank.

here's a pic taken just before i brought him home last year...


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## jp80911 (Apr 3, 2008)

Joe, you did good man. it looks much much better now. did it grow any? how big is it now?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

it was a little under 5" TL when i got him and i measured him last night and he's just a hair over 7" TL now


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## Wide_Eyed_Wanderer (Aug 22, 2006)

Wow the hardscape looks badass, cant even imagine when its planted.


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## Lifer374 (Dec 5, 2003)

Oh yeah....
He is looking sweet Joe. Nice job.

Tank so far is killer


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

thanks guys... maybe i'll leave the hardscape as is and just add some more driftwood, i really want some thin, twisty pieces or a decent sized bunch of tangled roots, i'll have to see what i can find.

his fins got a bit roughed up during the netting process yesterday, but other than that, i think he looks great


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## Lifer374 (Dec 5, 2003)

I think it was the gravel change. He was on a hunger strike till he got better gravel wasn't he?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

Tango374 said:


> I think it was the gravel change. He was on a hunger strike till he got better gravel wasn't he?


haha, are you talking about the gravel in the picture that was taken at the store? he actually only spent a couple days in that tank, i was at the store right when he came in... he was so thin you could see his bones through his skin.


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## FretsOnFire00 (Sep 10, 2009)

Tank looks great so far, sucks i cant have sand with my school. Come feeding time they'd destroy any texture i'd make with it.


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## His Majesty (Apr 5, 2005)

thats a pimp looking setup Joe







rhom is looking happy as punch


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## THE BLACK PIRANHA (Dec 8, 2003)

Really looks good tank and rhom.


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## Soul Assassin (Nov 21, 2006)

great job with the rhom, the tank looks badass, the only thing I would suggest if your goin to plant a lot is to put flourite underneath the sand (not on top) ....sorry....your plants would grow like crazy this way, but you can do without if you add micro and macro nutrients, CO2 and some root tabs (this is only needed if you realy plant the sh*t out of that tank)


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

thanks fellas



Soul Assassin said:


> great job with the rhom, the tank looks badass, the only thing I would suggest if your goin to plant a lot is to put flourite underneath the sand (not on top) ....sorry....your plants would grow like crazy this way, but you can do without if you add micro and macro nutrients, CO2 and some root tabs (this is only needed if you realy plant the sh*t out of that tank)


too late for flourite, but i don't need it... i will probably add some root tabs for certain plants and i will dose dry ferts, no pressurized co2 tho. i will have some plants in there, but i'm not going to overload the tank with plants, i want it to be a bit more natural.


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## BLACKFISH (Aug 1, 2006)

Looks good. Nice fish.


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

Amazing looking and it's only the beginning of it------









You have done great by your Rhom man........Came along way-----Just goes to show what good care can and will do for a fish...

Keep us updated Joe.....


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

thanks ak, i appreciate it. i'll definitely keep everyone updated on the progress of the fish and the tank... hopefully my search for driftwood turns up something soon. i'm waiting on a price list for plants now, so it will be coming together slowly but surely.


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## Soul Assassin (Nov 21, 2006)

joedizzlempls said:


> great job with the rhom, the tank looks badass, the only thing I would suggest if your goin to plant a lot is to put flourite underneath the sand (not on top) ....sorry....your plants would grow like crazy this way, but you can do without if you add micro and macro nutrients, CO2 and some root tabs (this is only needed if you realy plant the sh*t out of that tank)


too late for flourite, but i don't need it... i will probably add some root tabs for certain plants and i will dose dry ferts, no pressurized co2 tho. i will have some plants in there, but i'm not going to overload the tank with plants, i want it to be a bit more natural.
[/quote]


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

i really wish i would have started this project a little earlier... i was hoping i could have gone out and collected some driftwood and rocks from the rivers and lakes around here to finish the hardscape but it has been snowing since last thursday. i might have to bite the bullet and try to order some driftwood, then maybe i can head to somewhere that sells rock for rip rap and i can pick some out of their stuff.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

dope tank man. i cant wait to see how it turns out.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

ok, so the white sand is really starting to bother me... i really wanted to do a blackwater biotope with this tank and the white sand just isn't gonna work for that. my options are to either add stuff to this sand to try to make it darker and more natural, or i can take all this stuff out and save it for other tanks down the road and replace it with play sand that will really help with the look i'm going for.... anybody have any ideas or input?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

i'm going to home depot today, nobody has any ideas?


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## notoriouslyKEN (Jul 31, 2003)

What type of sand is this? I have Pool Filter Sand and it has a little more tan in color, not nearly as white. Not sure exactly what color you are looking for, but that might work.

What plants do you plan on putting in there with the fish?


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## T-wag (May 21, 2009)

wat is on the background? black paint or tint? it looks sweet makes all the colors pop more im debating on taking down my little wallpaper thing and tinting it mayb but idk yet


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

notoriouslyKEN said:


> wat is on the background? black paint or tint? it looks sweet makes all the colors pop more im debating on taking down my little wallpaper thing and tinting it mayb but idk yet


it's actually just one of those cheap backgrounds from the lfs, one side is dark blue, the other is black. i need to replace this one or paint the back black because it got kinda messed up when i moved the tank so there are creases in it that really reflect light.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

just got home from buying sand and collecting some river rocks... no luck on driftwood tho. i'm gonna start workin now and post updated pics either tonight or tomorrow.


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## SharkAquarium (May 16, 2003)

Very Wel Done! And pretty authenic, also.

g


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

SharkAquarium said:


> Very Wel Done! And pretty authenic, also.
> 
> g


those are the old pics george... i actually swapped out the white sand for more natural looking stuff and i added some rocks for the blackwater stream meets blackwater river look that we talked about, so hopefully you approve of the new look as well.


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## philbert (Mar 8, 2007)

u gonna throw up some new pics of the redo?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

yeah, i'm gonna wait til around 7 or so, then it will be dark so i can show the new DIY moonlights i put in the canopy last night


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

ok guys, here are some crappy pics of the new hardscape... please let me know what you think.























here's a pic of the new DIY LED moonlights i installed in the canopy last night. they turned out great, they have a really nice shimmering effect in person...


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## Buckman (Jan 10, 2007)

dude that looks sick! awesome job.


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## Eric99 (Nov 29, 2006)

Very nice!!!


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## Plowboy (Apr 9, 2008)

I'm liking it


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## Trigga (Jul 1, 2006)

very nice joe it looks awesome and will look even better when its all grown in


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## notoriouslyKEN (Jul 31, 2003)

Very impressive. I love the new 'scape. I just got moonlights for my 75 and I can't believe how good it looks when the lights go out.


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## xeloR (Jan 2, 2009)

Wow very nice joe! I don’t know what it is but my scapes never turn out nearly that nice- no matter how much $ or time I spend on it


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

Buckman said:


> Wow very nice joe! I don't know what it is but my scapes never turn out nearly that nice- no matter how much $ or time I spend on it


well it doesn't have to cost too much money... i think that there is only about $15 worth of stuff in there so far.


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## FEEFA (Nov 19, 2007)

Wow! It looks effin sweet, def worth the work it took


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## His Majesty (Apr 5, 2005)

Wow joe i have to hand it to you. you have done a fantastic job. it looks really good


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## SharkAquarium (May 16, 2003)

BEAUTIFUL!

That's a very lucky rhom.

g


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

damn joe, it keeps getting better. you going to stop and grow plants or is there another change in the mix?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

thanks guys

yeah nick, that's it for the hardscape... i think. i'm pretty happy with it, so i think i'll figure out the plants now.


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## T-wag (May 21, 2009)

thats awsome man!


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

plant it up!


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

DiPpY eGgS said:


> plant it up!


haha, seriously... you have no idea how bad i want to plant this damn tank. i am just waiting on a plant order from the local fish shop, but the dude is really slacking. i told him three weeks ago that i wanted to support his business so i would order the plants through him even tho i could get them cheaper online, i put in a request for decent quantities of about a dozen different types of plants, plus cherry shrimp, and a few fish... i'm still sitting here waiting.

you would think that a guy who owns a fish shop in a small town that is always complaining about how he can only sell community fish and small tanks would jump at the opportunity to make a large sale without even having to stock things in his tanks.


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## T-wag (May 21, 2009)

lol my LFS is the oppisite i love the store owners if i ask them to order somthing they usally have it within a week







and not just one but like 5 dozen of what i asked for....tropical treasures owns!!!!!


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

well, supposedly i am getting my plants tomorrow... if that falls through, i'm just gonna order them online


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## alyt (Oct 16, 2009)

In your tank shot photos I really like the look of the grass...I have never had much luck with live plants, what is it like when you are cleaning?


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

joedizzlempls said:


> well, supposedly i am getting my plants tomorrow... if that falls through, i'm just gonna order them online


Ya, if he isn't serious about making the sale, go over his head hah


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

alyt said:


> well, supposedly i am getting my plants tomorrow... if that falls through, i'm just gonna order them online


Ya, if he isn't serious about making the sale, go over his head hah
[/quote]
i just don't think he understands how much i want these freakin plants... after talking to him a few times, i've realized that to him, live plants in a fish tank just means more unnecessary work. he is gonna make profit off this sale without having to do anything, he just puts in the order, calls me when it gets there, hands me the box that the delivery guy dropped off, and then collects his profit... why isn't he jumping all over this?


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## Trigga (Jul 1, 2006)

Maybe he can't get what your asking for?

How did you make the moonlights? I wouldn't mind adding some to my tank


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

he can get what i asked for... i selected the plants off of the list that he gave me from his supplier.

the moonlights are just 18 micro led bulbs, right now they are running on AA batteries, but i'm trying to figure out how to put them on a timer or to run them to an outlet.


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