55g Hex low tech journal

[Jcp12211]

So, I have been waiting months to be able to set this tank up and the day is finally here! The stand that came with this tank crumbled and the tank fell into the wall last time it was set up. I was waiting for my stepdad to build me a stand. I stressed to him that it has to be able to hold 500lbs.....and I think he got the message loud and clear, haha! Don't think I will have to worry about this tank falling over anymore! It took a little getting used to his style but it is actually starting to grow on me...

20140909_213017

My plan is to buy the substrate, hopefully, tomorrow. I am going to use mgocpm, osmocote, azomite, and cap it with pool sand. I am going to do 2in dirt and 1in cap. My first question would be how much osmocote and azomite do I use? Do I just put a thin layer of osmocote that covers the bottom or do I just sprinkle a little in the dirt? and the azomite is a powder so same question about how much.

I have 2 HOB filters I am going to use. a whisper ex70 and an aquatech 30-60

As some of you may recall from a previous post, my tank is 29 in tall, so with substrate I will be at about 26in from the top. (not sure how far above the water my light will sit until I get it) I decided on the 24in ecoxotic e series. It has a PAR of 30 at 30in and 45 at 24in so I am guessing I will get a par between 35-40 (yes? no?)

The plants I am interested in are as follows: I want a wall of jungle val along the back 3 panes, in the front I want a carpet of dwarf sag, on the drift wood I would like to attach some java moss or xmass moss (is one better than the other? or should I use java ferns?) So that leaves the middle sides....I am really interested in rotala wallichii, Will I be able to grow that with the lighting? Other interests are cabomba or mayaca fluviatilis....any other suggestions? I also like the look of downoi but read it is sorta a more difficult plant to grow...

As far as fish go my interests are
must have cory cats! not sure if I will move them from my other tank or order a more unique type.
farlowella cats
neons
gbr and/or electric blue
tiger barbs
I have yoyo loaches and kuhli loaches I may move to this tank as well depending on how many fish I put in it. I know I have to buy the peaceful fish first and then put the barbs in as my last fish. It is hard for me to plan fish. I am more of an impulse shopper...

What am I missing? Am I going to need to dose anything or wait to see how the plants do first?

Thanks! I look forward to updating you... I dream about this tank day and night so can't wait to see if it looks the same as in my dreams haha

 

[Fresh2o]

First to follow!
Interesting tank. 55g? From the pic I can't tell how big it is. Can't answer the dirt and osmo questions. As for the moss, I'd go with Christmas or java. I'd check with Brian Nano about the ecoxotic e and the r wallichii. An alternative to Downoi might be star repens. I believe is it less demanding regarding light. For a tank that size, it would be cost effective to use PPS pro dry ferts. And Metricide by the gallon (can be used with Vals but should be ramped up).
Looking forward to this build!


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[Jcp12211]

It is hard to judge size by the picture because the stand is so big but, yes, it is 55 gallons. It is 29in tall, from flat pane to flat pane it is 24in and from a corner to corner it is (I think) 27in. I bought this tank to set up a salt water tank and had LR built up the center of it, worked great for that, but not as easy for plants with that height.
When I searched for metricide it came up with a disinfectant/sterilant, is this the same stuff?
I have considered the star repens but not sure it is what I want for this tank...maybe it would look nice under the drift wood....although I should leave some sand for my cories.

 

[Fresh2o]

Yep, Metricide 14 is what you are looking for. It is shipped with a small activator bottle; throw that away because you won't need it. Amazon $20-30 gallon size.



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[Fishperson]

Xmas moss is generally preferred over Java.

I would avoid tiger barbs as they are known to be nippy. Especially with rams in there.

That sounds like a good idea. The hexagon is 24 inches wide right? Like a circle with a 24 inch diameter? Will you get good spread on that? Going with two smaller lights might be better. A finnex planted+ gets 60 PAR at 18 inches so maybe 25-30 at 26 inches and two of them would probably be cheaper than an ecoxotic.

Good luck!

 

[Jcp12211]

Fresh, ok, Thanks!

Alex, yes, the tank is 24in wide. I had a thread last week about which light to choose (I think you even helped me out in that thread) and although 2 finnex were suggested, I think pretty much everyone said to go with the ecoxotic. It has 120° optics with 60° reflectors. I am all about going the least expensive route! but for a few extra bucks I thought the extra features of the ecoxotic was worth it.

I am still nervous about the tiger barbs. I had some people say If I put them in as the last fish when everyone else already established their territories and kept at least 5-8 of them then they would concentrate their aggression on each other and leave the other fish alone. I have another tank that I am taking most of the fish out of to put in this tank so I may just put the barbs in that tank because I really want them, but I want gbr more!

 

[Jcp12211]

I got the substrate in today. I did about 1/4in of special kitty litter, a thin layer of osmocote and azomite, vigoro organic potting mix (I couldn't find miracle gro), and a cap of pool sand. The pool sand is not as white as I would have liked though. It looked whiter when I see pics of everyone else's tank. Maybe it will brighten up when I get the light on. The light should come tomorrow and I have some dwarf sag (bought from dallascowboys16) and jungle val that should both be here any day. Do I trim the roots down on these plants before I plant them? I am still looking for suggestions for mid ground plants for the sides.

 

[Mattfinn]

What sort of plant shapes are you after on the sides. Stem plants with broad leaves, fine leaves and the like?

 

[Jcp12211]

I like thinner leaves, some plants I like are rotala wallichii, mayaca fluviatilis, hygrophila pinnatifida, or hygrophilia corymbosa but not sure if it would look better to use a couple rounded leaves since I am putting jungle val in the back and dwarf sag in the front. I can probably put 3 more types in there. I really like the rotala and mayaca but don't know if I have enough light.

 

[Jcp12211]

Here are some updated pictures. Finally got all my orders of plants. I have some dwarf sag up front. In the middle I have amazon swords, lemon bacopa, anachris, red tiger lotus, cabomba fanwort, Crypt Wenditii De Witt, and Red
Ruffle leaf sword. In the back I have a row of jungle val. I have java moss tied to the drift wood and floating I have hornwort, which I need to take most out so it doesn't block the light now that I have the other plants in there and water cabbage. It looks so much better in person than the pics...The last pic is of my 2 favorite fish in the tank. I need to get them mates soon and get some neons.

 

[Fresh2o]

That is some nice DW. Fits the tank well. Not really sure where the hornwort should go.
For the dwarf sag, the crowns appear to be planted a little to deep. This could lead to rotting and death. Simple to resolve: gently pull the plants up until you see the point where the leaves originate from the center of the plant.
Another plant that may work well in your tank is Bacopa caroliniana.


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[Jcp12211]

I took most of the hornwort out and tossed it in the turtle tank. I just left about a 1ft piece up top because the ghost shrimp like to sit in it. I wrapped it around the dw until the moss takes off. I will definitely pull up the dwarf sag a bit. I started out with a hill of sand in the center to put the dw on but I wasn't thinking that the dw would float for this long or I would have soaked it. I had to attach it to a piece of slate to weigh it down so that pushed all the extra sand out. I may take some of the sand out as well so it isn't too thick. I will have to check out the bacopa caroliniana....Thanks!

 

[Fresh2o]

There's no telling how long some types of DW will remain buoyant. Common types such as Malaysian, Mopani, and Manzanita usually sink quickly. I picked up some DW from the outer banks of NC and after a year they is finally starting to sink (they were floating in a pond).
You could try drilling a hole in the slate and driving a stainless steel screw through the slate and into the DW.


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