Ketso's Tank Log - New plants, New pic(04-15-2007)

[Ketso]

Hello all,

This is my new tank log that I will be updating with the progress of my 55 gallon freshwater planted tank.

This is my first aquarium and my tank has been a work in progress for the last 2 months already. I spent a great deal of time planning it out prior to even buying my first piece of the puzzle. Without folks, such as yourselves, I would probably have already started loosing confidence due to killing several fish and would have begun a downward spiral that would surely have resulted in an empty tank setting in a closet. Thank you.

Some info about my tank.
Tank Size: 55 gallons
Filtration: Rena Filstar Xp3
Lighting: DIY Hood (96w 6500k capable of 128w)
Substrate: Quickcrete Medium Sand
Plants so far: Java Fern, Java Moss, Crypt Wendtii (Red), Water Sprite

The Fish (None yet)
9 Cherry Barbs
3 Dwarf Rainbows
9 Tetras (Still undecide on which one. Maybe the Head and Taillight?)
2 German Blue or Bolivian Rams
5 Cory (undecided as of yet)

I started out by buying my tank for $55. I had planned to build my own stand but that fell through and I bought one at the LFS. It's not what one would consider great, but it will suffice for a few years. I then started building my light hood. If you want to check it out, see this thread.

Well, that brings me to where I am today. I haven't began to cycle the tank yet. I want to get most of my plants and the driftwood in place before I start that phase. I am also, tossing around the idea of a DIY Co2 system along with upping my lighting to 2.3WPG. And I guess I need to change my signature here sometime as well.

Please feel free to comment or suggest anything. My ears are always open as this is one heck of a learning experience. And something I think I will enjoy for the rest of my life.

[rich311k]

Looking good. That wood is sweet. Since you found it outside be sure to boil it well.

[Ketso]

LOL. It's too big to boil. It's about 15" x 12" x 22". I am going to bake it for several hours on a low temp (200*F) though.

[Jchillin]

You're off to a great start and your scape looks really good. The wood looks kinda large so I'd suggest using the moss to cover it, should look great.

[Ketso]

Thank you,

The moss is being weighted down by a few small stones for now. Once I get the wood in, I plan to try to get it to grab hold of it. I was picturing about 50% of the wood covered by something green.

[redswi]

Looking good,

but that wood is to big...cut it in 1/2...send me the rest...LOL

[zenkatydid]

ooooh gorgeous wood!

[Ketso]

Here's a few more pics of the driftwood. It is mostly hollow and has 3 knotholes in it large enough for fish to swim through. Will also make a nice hiding place. It has one almost fist sized rock grown into it and 2 smaller ones.

I went out Monday afternoon trying to find rocks for the tank. It was 14*F with winds blowing 10-15 mph and nearly a foot of snow on. I dont mind the cold much and was going a bit stir crazy. (I've been laid off from work for a few weeks now and dont get out too much when I am). I had to walk nearly a mile down the large creek nearby to even find a spot where there wasn't ice covering the creek.

Along the way, I found a decent piece of driftwood that was huge. It was every bit of 8 feet long but had a really interesting section I thought would work. Anyway, I left it figuring I would get it on my way back and proceeded to go get rocks. Well, the rocks weighed 60lbs (weighed the bucket when I got home) and I couldnt carry the 8' DW I had found at the same time. So, I took the rocks to my truck and went back for it.

On the way back for the DW, I decided to look on the other side of the creek. I got to a point where I decided to turn around and go back for the piece I had already found. I took maybe 15 steps when I noticed a root sticking up from the snow. And that is when I found the piece you see here.

[Purrbox]

I would recommend planting heavily from the beginning and then doing a silent cycle. This is very similar to cycling with fish, in that you slowly add fish over time allowing the biofilter time to expand to support the additional fish. The difference is that a large plant mass will help to ensure that you never see an Ammonia or Nitrite spike.

Those are some wonderful pieces of wood. How lucky you are to be able to find such great pieces by walking a little ways from where you live. Hopefully they will survive being boiled/baked intact and will sink for you.

[Ketso]

Originally Posted by Purrbox

I would recommend planting heavily from the beginning and then doing a silent cycle. This is very similar to cycling with fish, in that you slowly add fish over time allowing the biofilter time to expand to support the additional fish. The difference is that a large plant mass will help to ensure that you never see an Ammonia or Nitrite spike.

Those are some wonderful pieces of wood. How lucky you are to be able to find such great pieces by walking a little ways from where you live. Hopefully they will survive being boiled/baked intact and will sink for you.

That is pretty much my plan. I'm going to fill it with plants and get them up to speed before I start getting my fish. I read that one could do this and quite possibly never see an actual cycle. So, it only made sense for me.

As for the wood floating. I have ways to make it sink.