Newbie 55 gallon journal

[happygirl65]

It looks pretty good for now. After you get your new lights those amazon swords will really take off so you may end up moving them to the back, but for now as they are staying small they look fine.

The crypts are probably as tall as they are going to get and a mid ground placement is probably best.

I think you could use some stem plants in the background as well.

Nice job....

 

[Jnam]

Yeah i got em in there and realized that, ill move them again in a few days. It just disturbs the fish so m\uch ill give em a few days =)

But thanks again!

 

[Jnam]

Well i got my new PC lights in 130W they look way nice, its a 48" light with two 50/50 bulbs.

Do you guys think that will suffice for a planted tank? Or should i change one of the bulbs?

And second question, the light gets pretty hot should i get a fan to remove some of the heat, I noticed at peak time the temp is at 78 F and at the low its about 75F is that to much of a daily swing?

 

[Purrbox]

Currently you've probably got just a bit over low light. If your goal is to just grow Anubias, Crypts, Java Ferns, Java Moss and maybe some medium low light plants it should be fine as is. If you want more plant options, then you'll probalby find that you need to swap a bulb.

Personally I wouldn't be worried about that size temperature swing, fish encounter much larger daily swings in nature.

 

[gheitman]

I would suggest replacing the two 50/50 bulbs with something that is more plant friendly like one 10K and one 6700K. The fifty percent of each current lamp that is actinic doesn't really help your plants. Replacing the bulbs will let you grow almost all of the plants that require higher light such as Amazon swords.

 

[happygirl65]

I had that exact setup as my first planted tank....
When looking for bulbs....check out bigalsonline, great prices.

I would wait to upgrade the bulbs until you are ready to add CO2 and ferts.
For now you can house many stems (most hygro will do well and some ludwigia) Crypts, Java ferns and amazon swords will all do fine. The swords will grow slower in this light but they will do fine. Asian Ambulia did well too, just didn't turn pink.

 

[Jnam]

Thank you, and those plants you sent me are doing great. I am going to move the swords a little tighter at your suggestion, but i want to keep them more in the foreground my tank gets viewed from the side a lot because of its placement and the swords make a their own little micro tank on the right side, the guppy fry live there exclusively because it keeps the bigger fish out

 

[Jnam]

Here its is planted with the new light.

Your suggestion for using veggie oil for the background worked great... Accept i cant reach the back of the tank, wish i had done it before i put water in it So Ill have to try something else. I have a really long ice scraper, if i get a little veggie oil in the tank do you think thatll hurt the fish?

PIC

 

[happygirl65]

The oil should float to the top but of course you should try not to get any in it...lol.

Just a suggestion....do a 50% water change and while the level is down scoot it out and do the background.

 

[Jnam]

i dont think that will work, even at 50% it would still weigh over 300 lbs... My only helper is my 8 month pregnant wife... Hrm... but its worth a shot.

1 us gallon at room temperature weighs aprox 8.35 lbs us that would mean 25 gallons of water is 208lbs, tha tank what +/- 50 lbs and then 75 lbs of substrate, thats 333 lbs.

WWWHEEEHHHWWWW well if i get a hernia or throw my back out i have your address now (plant order) i know where to send the law suit too... LOL

 

[happygirl65]

HEY now....let's not get carried away...it was just a suggestion....personal responsibility has to play a part there....lol.

Congratulations on the baby.

 

[newfound77951]

Tank looks nice!

FWIW, if you can't get the background debubbled, I just use matboard or colored paper for backgrounds on my tanks. You can get all sorts of colors at a craft shop like Michael's or AJ Moore. For a 55 you'll need two pieces but I can barely see the seam in mine and it just needs some tape to hold it on. I haven't had any water + paper problems even when I had a HOB filter.

 

[Jnam]

Pics!

Well a lot has changed..

I had a few deaths... down to 3 neons and my ottos disappeared (I think)
Water params are fine i think i just got crappy stock.
Amonia 0
Nitrites 0
nitrates 25
ph 7.8

But i have additions!!
1 week in the QT and the 5 danios and 10 glow lights all made it. 5 ottos and one died leaving 4. They have been moved to the 55

I recieved some new plants and dosed my ferts the plants are looking great.

I added in some RCS and they are thriving well

New plants
Java Moss
and Glosso

I am going to give the glosso the college try. I got my DIY CO2 running and its working perfectly(I think cant test it yet). The Glosso came in pots so i separted one pot into smaller plantlets and planted the randomly in the substrate. The other pot i left and tucked it behind the drift wood.

I ordered 10 VALS and 2 large pieces of DW Ill take pics when i get them in. I also picked up some black felt to replace the background.

Here are a couple new photos. Sorry for the quality i am still working out how to use my camera =)

 

[happygirl65]

Nice. I am sure you will be happier with a black background.

 

[Alaris]

Kudos on the black background!! ^_^b I use black felt, too. I used masking tape to tape it to the frame.

 

[Jnam]

Update. A lot has changed I moved around the plants added about 15 Vals and battled some ich oh and did a cloth black bacground. The tank looks great. Not anywhere near the final result. My plants seem to be groing in. All the Crypts have finished melting and are now sending out new runners all over the place. The Glosso is growing nicely, it needs a trim to promote some more horizontal growth. My DIY CO2 is not lasting as long as i had hoped I need to tweek my formula. Does altitude play a factor on that? Some of the Swords are starting to become opaque on a few leaves but at the same time seem to be growing tons of smaller leaves towards the base.

I had 3 deaths durring the Ich out break =( but thats not too bad I guess. The frustrating part is the bringers of death (the glow light tetras) were QTd with no signs of stress or disease.

Params are nice the water is a little harder than i would like 7.9~8.2 cant tell cause the tests i have show highest reading on one and lowest on the other.

I have two pieces of DW on the way any tips on preparing them for the tank? Boiling is what i heard but they are almost 20" in length each...

Well pics this evening... Hopefully.

 

[Alaris]

I have two pieces of DW on the way any tips on preparing them for the tank? Boiling is what i heard but they are almost 20" in length each...

Make sure you got a big pot! lol

You'll also want to water log them before putting them in the tank. Just soak them in a bucket of water for a few days until they sink. Before you add them to the tank, test the water they were soaking in for pH to see how much it's going to lower it when you add it to the tank.

 

[Purrbox]

My DIY CO2 is not lasting as long as i had hoped I need to tweek my formula. Does altitude play a factor on that?

How long is it lasting?

There are some existing mixes out there that have been reported to last upto 4 weeks using some ingrediants like molasses. Switching to Champagne Yeast instead of bread yeast can also get you to 4 weeks. I don't know that altitude plays a factor, but temperature and water hardness certainly do. Cooler temperatures and harder water will both slow down the reaction decreasing output and lengthing how long the mix will last, while warmer temperatures and softer water will speed the reaction increasing output and shorting how long the mix will last.

 

[Jnam]

pics

here they are

 

[Jnam]

see the dying sword leaf? Whats that grwoing is taht called hair algea?