Planted 5 Gallon Video/Picture Diary.

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

For updates, i've moved my otto over to my 5, it has a lot more algae for him and a lot more hiding spots for him so he doesn't feel so stress.


Also when I tear everything out to replace the sand. Just I temp. move the cichlids somewhere like in a bucket or something? I don't want to give them a lot of stress and such with me moving everything out.

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

Total Recreation of the tank, pics and video explains it all so check it out!!!

Before




After




The Video!!

[=

[elwaine]

Now that hardscape has a very interesting potential. The plateau you constructed on the right is interesting. I like the way you did that. I'd leave the hardscape as is and get down to work on plants.(*)

(* next week)

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

Originally Posted by elwaine

Now that hardscape has a very interesting potential. The plateau you constructed on the right is interesting. I like the way you did that. I'd leave the hardscape as is and get down to work on plants.(*)

(* next week)

Yeah I really liked how it turned out, I just need the plants to start growing and filling in better.

If I can get my hands on some new plants I could try to work something out, I know one plant for sure I want to get is some dwarf hairgrass along the sides of the "river". I think that would be pretty cool.

[fort384]

looking good Ben.

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

Originally Posted by fort384

looking good Ben.

Thanks, took me like 2 hours

[runninwoof]

GREAT!! dont touch it now! it looks very good! add plants to the background, upgrade lighting maybe a few small plants around the base of the tree thing on the left... but w/e you do! do not touch the hardscape, i can tell u spent time on it, and it paid off buddy!

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

Originally Posted by runninwoof

GREAT!! dont touch it now! it looks very good! add plants to the background, upgrade lighting maybe a few small plants around the base of the tree thing on the left... but w/e you do! do not touch the hardscape, i can tell u spent time on it, and it paid off buddy!

Lol, thanks man. Yeah I spent a lot of time on that hardscape. The only bad thing now is that my cichlids are starting to pick up and spit out sand (cichlids do that all the time) but now they are messing up my river. Later on when my plants grow out and stuff I might have to do something about the river, or change it in some way somehow.

I would just remove the cichlids but got no where to put them since they are deff not ready for my big cichlid tank, they would get kill in an instant.

I'm looking for some plants now, what do you suggest for plants? I was thinking about putting some dwarf hairgrass in the tank somewhere. Like I said what do you suggest for plants?

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

Well what I worried about happened, my stupid cichlids spit tons of sand into the river so it's turning plant lol.

Anyways I finally got a test kit and so I tested this tank today. Tell what you think of the numbers

pH: 7.6-7.7
Nitrate: 40
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia: 0-0.25 (It wasn't zero or 0.25 so I think it was between.)

Are these good numbers? I honestly don't know since I never use to check my water.

[Jnam]

Idealy nitrites and amonia should be 0 nitrates at 40 is fine for a planted tank.