125 gallon build log

[GlitcH]

Very nice neilanh.......I love the rigging for the lights too. I'm betting this is gonna be fun to watch come together.

[neilanh]

Did a water change to get rid of most of the leftover cloudiness from the substrate. Added some more plants. Unfortunately, I did it in that order, so there's some cloudiness back again. Sigh. One day I'll learn.

Setup the XP4 and got most of the air bubbles off the front glass.

Thoughts? As much as this is a log or whatever, I am looking for suggestions, improvements, ideas. I'm up for whatever.

There's quite a few plants hiding low to the substrate (planted em deep) that you can't see. It'll be a surprise for later if they grow.

[FishEggs]

In my opinion you should totally start over. Break it all down and move it to the right location. My house lol. looks great! you're adding some driftwood right? and then some fish. that's all i see missing. besides my reflection in the glass.

[neilanh]

Thanks for all the compliments.

Definately driftwood, when I find something that strikes my fancy. Fish eventually. First major task is more plants, it's a little bare in my opinion.

[Zagz]

I agree more plants would be a bonus. It looks really great so far!

[David14259]

Get some CO2 on there soon or your tank'll be looking like mine soon!

[neilanh]

Yeah, I hear ya on the CO2. For the time being, I'm not dosing either, but I'm only running half the lights for now 9 hours a day. That's just barely over 1WPG, so hopefully that will keep everything clean until I get it all going.

[pitt420dude]

WOw Neilanh, quite the tank there. I've never seen what you did with the lights and really like it. It gives it more of a laboratory feel; to me it sort of makes it feel like it's a project you're working on actively instead of a static fish tank.

I'd be careful how much you let your plants get overgrown, as I'e always enjoyed seeing a well manicured planted tank than an overgrown jungle. How about a nice carpet? Do you have anything like that in the works (it appears you do to the left of the three big rocks on the right)?

[neilanh]

As for carpet, the few little plantlets you see are from a cardinal plant that was battered up (I was gone out of the country for 6 weeks prior to starting this project) that I had to split up. I just placed them in there to see how they do.

I have on order e. parvula which I intend on making an attempt at a carpet with. That will come in and get planted next week, which I hope will spread the entire length of the tank.

[pitt420dude]

My favorite carpet forming plants are glosso and (recently found out about it) riccia. I read that Steve hampton uses plastic crochette nets to sort of sandwhich the plant in between. Looked like it made it very managable and it really took off (though it probably had a perfect growing environment.