first timer w/ a 55

[Da Squid]

Yep... totally new at this, no clue what I'm doing. I have a 55g here with turface mvp. I was looking to get three inches worth of it but I think i went over board. I saw a rock wall that I liked in a photo somewhere and tried to create my own using rocks I pulled out of my garden (boiled them first).
The wall is rather unstable and I'm not all that crazy about it. I'll probably take it out before I add the water.
My cannister filter and python will be arriving in the mail tommorow so i'm just dry scaping everything right now. For lights, I have two 48" 54 watt T5 bulbs on the way. I'll probably only use one bulb untill I get comfortable with what I'm doing. I'll be working out a deal with Fort to get a plant package put together soon (low to low medium i'm assuming).

Assuming I successfuly get the pictures uploaded in this post, I invite and beg for advice from everyone. I have no ego to bruise so please tear this apart and help me get on track

 

[melosu58]

Yep... totally new at this, no clue what I'm doing.

Fortunately we have some great planted tank guru`s on the site. Unfortunately it`s not me. LOL. Cant wait to see the adventure begin.

 

[Da Squid]

Thanks Mike, as long as I don't do anything TOO embarrassing I'll try to use this thread as an ongoing journal. If nothing else, it will likely serve as comedic fodder and a 'what not to do' anthology for other newcomers.
-Colin

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

Seems like your on your way with the dry scape.

A cool tip i've learned is to put the driftwood together in a certain design to get a really cool look, instead of having them spread threw out the tank. Either or works fine.

Also make sure your rock structure is stable. Fish will want to swim in and out of it and such, and if they not a rock over it could damage your inhabbits of the tank. I suggest building kind of like a mountain of rocks, instead of just stacking them against the wall, i've learned that overtime aswell with experience.

Remember to use a dish or something when fill the tank so you do not disturb the substrate and hardscape of the tank. After you got the hardscape down you can then begin your fun adventure of aquascaping.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

DS where did you get the Turface and how much did it cost? Is that the stuff that's similar to Flourite? I think you may have posted on one of my threads about that stuff, I was considering a substrate change after switching to canister.

What kind of driftwood is that? Whatever kind I have caused a huge phosphate problem and a ton of algae, at least that's what I'm attributing it to. I just took in out and am soaking it to monitor the phosphate levels it puts out. I have a 10g that has only 0.5ppm PO4 while my 55g has well over 5ppm.

 

[timwag2001]

i think your rock wall looks pretty good as long as it's sturdy. think about what it'll look like when you have plants all over and in front of it.

 

[Da Squid]

Thanks for the advice everyone! Regarding the substrate, it was about 13 bucks for a 50 pound bag. Best way to find it is to go to the turface website and look for a vendor. It was funny. They are used to selling 50 bags per sale. To have some kid come in and ask for just one bag caused a lot of raised eyebrows.

I'll be setting up the filter tonight (i've never had a cannister before, lets hope it comes with instructions!) and will then add the water. I'll try and arrange the rocks into more of a mountain shape and maybe pour a little more boiling water over the driftwood. I only have a api master test kit right now. I suppose I had better order the other kinds before the plants arrive.

 

[djrusselljoseph]

First of all, stop putting yourself down or beating on yourself. It's not very becoming.
Use this site a learning tool and you will be fine. Take every piece of feedback good or bad and use it. Everyone has something different to add and share, I am sure you can take away something from it.

My feedback.

That rock wall. If you haven't added water already, try setting it up against the corner. In the corner, using both the back glass and side. I have thought about setting up something similar, but decided against it due to recently getting in plants and what not. In my opinion, I LOVE THE SUBSTRATE you have, I think there's too much of it. But that's just me.
Other than that, I am anxiously awaiting pics with water.

 

[timwag2001]

Remember to use a dish or something when fill the tank so you do not disturb the substrate and hardscape of the tank.

this is what happens when you dont

 

[djrusselljoseph]

OUCH timwag2001!!

Look at that. Scary.

 

[timwag2001]

yeah, that was a bad day.

i also think that you have too much substrate. did you rinse it before you put it in?

 

[djrusselljoseph]

i would say that is about what? 2 inches in there?

Or how about thinning it out at the front and pushing more of it to the back?

 

[Da Squid]

Hee hee, I never considered that I'd come off as self depreciating! Keep giving me great idea's and I'll cut out my little japes from now on .
I didn't consider moving the rocks to a corner, but yes I'll give that a try tonight. That should make it easier to squeeze some plants in there.

I rinsed my turface for several hours so hopefully it won't get too cloudy. I agree with all of you that some needs to be removed. I was shooting for around 3 inches for any medium/high light rooted plants I may like to add later, but there is more likely around 4.5 in there right now.

A last minute lighting question: for a planted tank, would you suggest a glass lid or an egg crating? The egg crate would of course be cheaper.. but could that stuff deteriorate under the hot lamps over time?

 

[djrusselljoseph]

I didn't mean to sound harsh, more sarcasm thrown in there than anything else.
More times than none, I will try to tell the truth, good or bad.

There is an image I had in my head regarding the rock set up and originally what I had in mind for my own setup. If I find it I will post the link.

 

[ellisb1]

You should set the rocks up like you want them and use aquarium sealant to seal them together. Let them dry for a few days then fill it up. This technique works great. Keeps them together and from falling and hurting your fish or busting your tank. Try not to get silicon on the front of the rocks on the viewing side. Can be a pain to get out of the creases and pores in the rock. I think it looks pretty good!

 

[timwag2001]

i think that the glass lid wouldn't diffuse the light that passes through it and your plants would benefit in the long run

 

[Da Squid]

After many joyful trials and tribulations, I'm just about ready to start adding plants! Fort has a package coming out to me in a few days (thanks!) with my low light setup in mind.

I know to put taller plants in the back and smaller ones in front. Other than that I just plan to get some fishing line and tie what I can to the rocks and wood. It doesnt show up too well with my camera, but the dark wood on the right is full of great nooks and crannies to fit all sorts of things. The driftwood in the middle is two pieces i've stuck together to make a little cave. The rocks on the left have a good amount of space in between for fish and plants. I havent silicone'd it yet because I'm very indecisive and keep changing it up!

None of my plans are set in stone and all suggestions are eagerly sought

 

[Sicklid]

What I would do if it were mine:

I would make a much lower rock wall, more of a shelf or terrace really, and place most of that substrate behind it as a sort of plateau in one third of the read corners... This way you can have various dramatic heights. Let the substrate spill over the rocks, bury them if you have to to get the varying level effect... The rocks will be invisible when plants take over anyway, and it would look cool...

Then I would have the driftwood poking out of the planted areas, even coming down off of the terrace, branching out from the deep substrate in there.

 

[ingg]

Try moving the driftwood to right of center. Think in thirds - focal points at third points, never centered.

Grab a spatula, piece of cardboard, something, and level out your substrate. Waves in it - especially along the front glass - are distracting to the eye and detract from a scape. Remove the driftwood, and use the tool to sweep it into a level plane, then place the driftwood. Sloping down from back is fine, sloping side to side is fine - just try and get rid of the undulating waves.

 

[ingg]

Heh, just noticed it is filled with water.... no cardboard then, though I'd honestly drain it and fix the substrate if it were mine.