Texasblitzem's 40b Tank

[texasblitzem]

Hi all, I'm a 36 yr old single dad and I'm realizing that planted tanks are beautiful and want one of my own. I had a 55gtank a few years ago but wasn't serious about fishkeeping. I had to get rid of that tank when I moved a few years ago and just got a 40g breeder tank at Petsmart when I got my tax refund two weeks ago. I had been doing a lot of internet research(drooling over other people's planted tanks) since November. So here's my tank and specs...
40g Breeder 36"x16"x18" (Petsmart)
Nova Extreme T5HO 2x39watt 10,000k and 6,500K(Amazon.com)
Marineland Penguin 350 Bio-wheel HOB filter(Petsmart)
Fluval 200watt heater(Petsmart)
Black Diamond sandblasting sand and Floramax substrate
DIY CO2

Bacopa Australis
Baby Dwarf Tears
Anubias Barteri v nana
Anubias Frazeri
Myrio, Red (Myriophyllum heterophyllum)
Wisteria (Hygrophila difformis)
Amazon swords
Miramo moss ball

3 Apple snails
1 baby Platy...he came free with the moss ball from Petsmart, we call him 'P.J. Fry'...kudos to those get the reference.

So I spray painted the back of the tank with Krylon Fusion(tip from the internet) and I think it looks great. Got some egg crate from Home Depot to protect the bottom glass. Got a nice piece of driftwood from http://www.thedriftwoodstore.com, and tied it down to the egg crate with thread, after soaking it for a few days. here are some pics..

 

[texasblitzem]

For the DIY co2 I used a cigarette filter jammed into the end of the tubing. The bubbles were going all the way to the surface, aren't they supposed to dissolve before reaching the surface? I looked around the house and found a shot glass. I suspended it above the bubble stream to collect the bubbles. Is this doing anything at all? I tried to place the diffuser under the intake but that was a p.i.t.a.
Thoughts? comments?

 

[texasblitzem]

Forgot the pics...

 

[Bl414]

Nice tank man. I just finished my DIY co2 as well. From what I've read the cigarette filter makes the bubbles super small so that way more get absorbed into the water column. The longer it takes for them to get to the top the better, that's why some people put it under their filter output. The bubbles come up and then the filter blows them around the tank before they hit the surface.

 

[Bl414]

Also the shot glass thing seems like a good idea cause the bubbles get caught. I'm pretty sure normal co2 diffusers do the same thing

 

[texasblitzem]

Once the shot glass fills with co2, will it slowly dissolve into the water?

 

[sniperfreak]

1 baby Platy...he came free with the moss ball from Petsmart, we call him 'P.J. Fry'...kudos to those get the reference.

Philip J. Fry, by any chance...

 

[texasblitzem]

Lol, yeah, I'm a Futurama fan.

 

[texasblitzem]

updated

 

[dotswithchemicals]

Are those white flowered plant Wisteria?

 

[texasblitzem]

mostly, it's bacopa australis. There's anubias nana and red myrio in there as well.

 

[CouponDiva]

Ohh wow nicely done! One day I will have a planted tank ;]

 

[texasblitzem]

thanks for the nice comments! Here's a pic I took today...

 

[texasblitzem]

Here's some updated tank pics. I've added 9 neons and 6 guppies(2m, 4f).
Total stock: 9 neons, 6 guppies, 3 whisker shrimp, 3 otos, 3 apple snails, and a juvenile platy.

 

[gman42]

looks great