Alans 35 gallon tank journal

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Alan79

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Oct 23, 2013
Messages
393
Location
NSW Australia
Howdy all.
I have had 2 planted 20g tanks running for a while but this is my first tank journal.

At about midnight last night i spotted a 35.6 Gallon tank. Rang the owner at 10am today and had the tank in my house 4 hours later. I've had a few hours to clean the tank, wash river sand and move the 20g that was housing the Comet that will occupy the tank so i could pull down the tank and move the larger tank into it's position. After doing all that i took a little time to start scaping. I've opted for a river sand substrate and black background I'll just re-use the plants from the 20 i shut down for the moment which I will list in a future post.

Equipment
Tank- 91cm x 35cm x 46cm. Braced top.
Black stand and a canopy that i probably won't use.
21w t5 light with a bulb i will upgrade. I can't recall the exact number but it's just under 900k color.
Substrate- 1.5 5 litre buckets of washed sand.
Hardscape- Loads of mixed rocks. The plan is to have a rock strewn floor which will help anchor the plants. My comet loves to dig and rearrange his gravel which can mean he uproots 10-20 stems daily.
API Rot tabs. I will switch to homemade ones eventually.
Filters- Elite Jet Flo 150 (27-40g)
- Aqua one 101F Maxi internal filter which will probably want replacing fairly soon.

And now for some pics.

I need to move this tank before i can do anything more.


This is the new tank




Tank in position and a first attempt at the major stone placement. Will play around with things for a while before adding water and plants.



When i am finished my scape i will have about 50-60% of the floor covered in stones with plants growing between. I may moss some rocks for bushes and tie roots to some plastic gardening mesh and bury it below the soil because they usually get torn out very quickly. There will be substantial swiming room up front until i can find something that won't get molested for a foreground. Any recomendations? My comet shifted about 1.5 inches of substrate from one end of the tank to the other so it has to be able to root well and grow pretty quickly. Maybe Glosso Elatinoides?
 
Looks great keep up nice work

Sent from my phone cuz im too lazy to get on my laptop


:thanks: I appreciate the encouragement. Tomorrow i may use the same tiering effect and build up two higher mounds then bridge the driftwood between. The tiers will be much higher when i am done and i have different smaller stones soaking that will add a lot more texture and random color. This is the tallest tank i have owned so i'll have 45cm's of height to factor into my scape. It also has more front to back depth so i'm looking forward to the flexibility.
 
Hardscape in progress.


I want to leave a good sized passage low down at the front of the tank but will extend the island a bit to ensure it doesn't make the tank look too symmetrical. I think i will add a bit more height to it too. Loads more small rocks to add yet too.

My planting list for now is.
Dwarf chain sword
Pongol
Anubias (i think it is nana)
Ludwigia (pretty sure it is repens)
Cabomba
Pennywort
Maybe Java moss until i can get christmas, peacock or flame moss.
Crypts- Lucens
- Red Undulata
- Brown Wendtii
My Crypts will need to grow in a lot
I'm still not sure what i want as a foreground yet either. Suggestions would be appreciated. I want quick growing mostly and inedible for a goldfish.
 
Planted out for now and with it's resident Brutus. He'll live here till i build him a pond. I kept my Cabomba in a bucket for a few days and much of it rotted so i replanted with just tips. I am going low tech for the moment but may start using DIY CO2 in this tank like my others. I might also try one of the fluval systems. I still need to find a better T5 bulb and i may buy a second fitting but for a month or two while brutus lives here it will just be low tech.

 
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