21 Gallon FW Set Up

[Johnny Tuttle]

With valuable advice from folks here, I've pieced together a 21 g that combines Central and South American species. It's no where near as impressive as the beautiful ones I've seen on here, but I wanted to let people see how I've done with their advice.

I'll try getting better at shooting the tank. These first ones aren't great quality.

 

[Johnny Tuttle]

A couple more

Thanks again for the help here, folks.

 

[Purrbox]

I actually really like the scape that you've put together. You've done some very nice things with the driftwood, rocks, and open space in front. I look forward to seeing how it evolves.

 

[black hills tj]

Tank looks good. I'm not a fan of guppies though...

 

[Johnny Tuttle]

Thanks very much. Coming from you, I'm sincerely flattered.

Those three little river stones in the front right (with the jumble of java moss largely behind it and a plant in the middle) form the home for the amano shrimp.

That floating thermometer is only there to make sure I've got my heat up to kill ich, not help it. My entire goal was to have this scape (huge slightly off center driftwood, back lush plants, nothing unnatural)--I've wanted something comparable for ages. As I learn more and get cracking, I'll go for the illusion of depth, something I brushed past here.

I'm figuring I'll soon see whether or not 30 total watts is sufficient here. I'd up my wattage, but I don't want to up hood (and I don't know whether it's as simple as just buying new, better bulbs for the same hood or not). This tank gets some sunlight. It's beside a window, but it catches a little more than I'd planned on.

In that back right corner, I've got three plants competing for attention--I might remove that hygrophilia to let the v. spiralis take over. It's been in my tank for a week today, and it's already propagating (forewards).

 

[brutus]

looks great ..nice and healthy looking

 

[Johnny Tuttle]

Thanks, folks.

FTR, I saw two of my amanos last night--they were hanging out in the Java Moss.

I'm likely going to get one of those round algae balls I've seen described around here; that will help feed my ever increasing hitchhiker snail population.

 

[Johnny Tuttle]

A quick update

 

[Jnam]

Looking great. How do you keep your guppy population in check?

 

[Johnny Tuttle]

I think I've found success with the dwarf guarami. Still, I populated the 15 with 6 guppy dithers, and I've lost a couple of adult females after childbirth, and I still have a dozen in the 21 g out of three I started with.

And I turned my heat down a bit. I do have a guppy ready to give birth, but the rate's slowed dramatically.

 

[fishmonkey]

your lucky to have a cool tank like that

 

[somecallmedaniel16]

I like the look, the open space in front, but I think the overgrown back could be trimmed down a bit, just to look neater and open up a little more space.