27 gallon hex tank setup :D

[mommytron]

so we finally got our hex set up. PFS substrate, fake plants. We are planning on floating some water sprite or other floating plant at the top, since the plants only reach about half way up. We also need to add a cave or hiding spot of some sort as we plan on having a group of panda cories. We also may have an angelfish, and a school of black phantom tetras (thanks for all the stocking suggestions in my other thread).

We added ammonia yesterday, along with some filter floss out of the filter on our 20gal. Today ammonia is still at 4ppm and nitrites are about .75 ppm looks like this cycle will be done in no time. We plan on adding a second Tetra 30 filter, and we also need to pick up a thermometer. Lots of work still, hopefully we get it the way we want it before the cycle is up!

 

[logansmomma1228]

That looks beautiful! I love those rocks in there!

 

[mommytron]

thank you!! my husband did all the decorating. actually he had a little helper...our daughter was very excited to help, and handed him the plants she wanted in there next. we had a few stones in the bottom, then she got under the cabinet and found some more, and insisted daddy put them in for her (including the little chunk of rainbow rock which is her fav )

 

[logansmomma1228]

Awwww I can't wait until my little man can help me build tanks! How old is your daughter again?

 

[mommytron]

22 months. she'll be 2 on august 27th

 

[HN1]

Great start! I'm definitely following along.

 

[logansmomma1228]

Aw My little man wil be 6 months old on the 28th, this week already. Where did the time go.... Anyways, following along as well

 

[mommytron]

wow, still a wee little man. the time will just start going faster as he gets older. i feel like i was just in the hospital giving birth a few months ago. and it's been almost 2 years!! treasure every moment, even the stressful ones. i almost miss getting up 3 or 4 times to nurse her during the night, actually some of my best memories, sitting on the couch in a dark and quiet living room, watching her nurse peacefully. <3<3<3 now she's running around the house, dumping full boxes of dried pasta all over the kitchen, screaming "pasta everywhere!!!" lol

wow, tangent!! anyway, thanks for the interest, guys!! we didn't think we'd get this tank set up so soon, but we had the PFS left over from the 20, my friend is selling us the 2nd filter for 5 bucks, the hubby picked up a free heater from a woman at work, and we had all the fake plants from our 10gal and the 20gal before we planted it. actually ended up being the cheapest tank we have! considering we bought the tank +stand for $25 on craigslist. what a score

can't wait to stock this bad boy!!

 

[logansmomma1228]

That is a good score!

Yes I remember being in the hospital... lol. It is crazy how fast it goes! It's a little harder to cherish the stressful moments but it is totally worth every second of it

 

[mommytron]

definitely much harder cherishing those stressful moments, but just remember this now, that the older they get, the more stressful those moments are. and don't get discouraged when he starts ignoring you, it's inevitable. just talk louder and be prepared to clean the outside glass of your tank often... ours is constantly covered with tiny greasy handprints, especially since we've got the tetras x.x at least she's not smacking on it, just constantly touching it...i think our obsession is rubbing off

 

[logansmomma1228]

LOL, I am planning on getting him his own tank when he is old enough. What do you do to clean your glass? I have one of those micro fiber cloths around here somewhere but I can't find it.
It will break my heart when he starts ignoring me.... and I really don't know what I am going to do when he does start walking because my 10 is perfect height for him ... lol.

 

[mommytron]

just gotta teach, teach, teach, teach. repetition and consistency are key. i take a paper towel and spray a little bit of windex on it (WAY away from the tank, like in the kitchen) then give it a good wipe, then i will take a paper towel wet with water and wipe it down again. using just water leaves it kinda streaky (especially for the messier hand prints) but i like to "wash" off the windex with water, then dry with a paper towel.

 

[severum mama]

That's looking really nice! I'll be following this thread.

 

[mommytron]

Thank you!! i don't think i said this to you guys before, but HN1 and severum mama, i think you guys are *adorable*!! i love your wedding shots in your profiles. you are also two of the nicest and most helpful people on this site. can't wait to order some plants through you guys, you come highly recommended on this site. thanks again!

 

[mommytron]

test results on the tank this morning::

ammonia - 0 ppm (wee! started dosing ammonia back in today!)
nitrite - 5.0ppm (i think, could have been 1, the colors are too darn close)
nitrate - between 5 and 10ppm

can't wait for those nitrites to drop! what to add first....? should we add our "centerpiece" fish (probably a single black veil angel) first? or should we do the school of tetras, then cories, and do the angel last? any thoughts/suggestions/opinions on stocking order??

planned stocklist as of right now:
1 black veil angel
8-10 black phantom tetras
6 panda cories

 

[logansmomma1228]

i personally would add the cories first, just because im so excited to get them. lol. You might want to add the angel last, can;t they get kind of aggressive sometimes? I dont really know a lot about them but just a thought to add the more aggressive last (or more prone to be aggressive)

 

[mommytron]

well i've read and been told very different things about angels' aggressiveness. like they are only aggressive while mating, or only aggressive in certain male:female ratios, or aggressive unless in large groups. but, generally, the consensus is that it depends on the fish. as severum mama said:

Angels do just fine on their own. Cories and tetras are great tank mates, provided they are too large to be eaten. Some angels have differing opinions about what is edible... we have a big black veil angel that ate a cory. It was stuck in the fish's mouth for a couple of days and we thought for sure we would lose the angel. Scary!

BTW, the angel was eventually able to swallow the cory and is doing fine now. LOL

so maybe we won't go with a black veil. lol . but we would definitely like a single angel in there.

 

[mommytron]

so i visited my dad's house over the weekend and my step mom gave me a bunch of her old aquarium stuff. i came home with 3 or 4 plants (fake), a gorgeous piece of rainbow rock, a few pieces of reddish slate, 2 buckets of gravel, a powerhead, a 10 year old API master test kit (hehehe, i thought it was cool, all the bottles are still full which is too bad cuz they're no good, BUT i can use the test tubes ), and a net. so i added a couple more plants and the rainbow rock to the tank, and rearranged everything. here it is!

 

[severum mama]

Nice! That's really coming along.

 

[mommytron]

thank you i think this is how it will stay , with exception to some floating plants.