Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon Planted Odyssey

[fishenthusiast]

Buces are awesome. I went on an impulse buy and got about 6 prices each with 5+ leaves for $9 from Han. They are so beautiful. I really like the Florida sunset crypt species! Pics plz!


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I don't know when I'll be getting that crypt, but I'll be initiating the high-tech tank teardown in two weeks. I don't have enough time for it anymore, so I'm glad that I'm making it into a low light tank.


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[fishenthusiast]

Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon Low-Light Tank

I'm starting to get a little bit excited about the new setup. I compiled a plant list for what plants will be in the tank. No stems. No moss. A bunch of driftwood, Crypts, and Anubias.

Foreground:
Crypt willisii sp. willisi
Anubias nana 'petite' on the edges of driftwood

Mid ground:
Driftwood w/ Anubias nana, Anubias nana 'Gold' and Anubias sp. 'Coffefolia'
Dwarf Sag
Crypt wendtii 'Green Gecko'
Crypt nurii
Crypt Metallic Affinis red
Crypt wendtii 'Florida Sunset'
Crypt wendtii 'Bronze'

Background:
Echinodorus 'Oriental'
Crypt balansae
Corkscrew Val or a different type of Val
Driftwood with Windelov Java Fern
Crypt undulata possibly -- if room permits

As I've stated before, this will be an easy to-care-for setup. I've compiled a rough draft of what I'd like for my fish stock:

10 Harlequin Rasboras
2 Honey Dwarf Gourami
5 Kuhli Loaches
6-8 small tetras of some type
Either a small Pleco, or my current Panda Garra
Maybe some type of snail

I'll be dosing ferts 2-3 times a week, and CO2 will be tuned down so that there will be a balance in the tank (but high enough for lush growth).



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[Coursair]

Sounds like a nice set up. I love Crypts [emoji106]?


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[Fishperson]

Crypt willisii are great! Can't wait to see this thing up and running


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[fishenthusiast]

Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon Low-Light Tank

Sounds like a nice set up. I love Crypts [emoji106]?


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I do too, and so do my Kuhli loaches. I had crypts in the high-tech setup, but they were algae magnets. I had to toss them, but when I had them, I noticed that the Kuhlies were more energetic. They should like this setup better.

Crypt willisii are great! Can't wait to see this thing up and running

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That's good to hear. Look for this tank to start getting planted after Christmas--by that time, I should have the light, the new equipment, and new fish. I'm taking this transition slow and steady.



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[fishenthusiast]

Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon Low-Light Tank

Well, all my high-tech needy plants have been removed from the tank. I will put in some fake driftwood so that the fish feel more comfortable for the time being. I expect to get the new light sometime next month, and from there, I'll begin to plant up the tank.


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[fishenthusiast]

I changed up the plant list a little bit. I'll put that on here in a few hours once I finalize it. Fish wise, I plan on getting some red tetra that is deep bodied. Red Phantom Tetras would contrast the greenery well since most of my plants will be green. That should be visually pleasing.

Quick question: How can I clean up my driftwood up so that it will look brand new again? I don't want to boil it, so are there any other options?


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[PoppaRyno]

Scrub a dub with a softer brillo, tooth brush, etc...

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[fishenthusiast]

Scrub a dub with a softer brillo, tooth brush, etc...

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Good idea! I'll put that into action here soon.


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[Fishperson]

H2O2 spot dosing on the algae.


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[fishenthusiast]

Guess who is getting plants today? ??

I'll be leaving the T5's on for a couple more weeks, then once I get around to purchasing the new light, everything should be in a place.


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[fishenthusiast]

Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon Low-Light Tank

Just got some Bronze and Red Wendtii and a Red Flame Sword (this plant will be cut down to size...hopefully it will get some redness to it). This tank will be a fun one!


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[PoppaRyno]

Pics.... Pics i say

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[fishenthusiast]

Pics.... Pics i say

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Those will be coming sometime in the next couple days. I haven't even planted the plants yet haha. I'm currently saddened by OSU's loss.


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[fishenthusiast]

Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon Low-Light Tank

I'm currently soaking some new driftwood in hot water. I'm soaking my other old driftwood piece in a water and H2O2 solution. If the H2O2 doesn't do the trick in killing algae off the piece, what should I soak my driftwood in? I'm wary of using bleach.

Edit: I also followed the advice of scrubbing, but I'm soaking the driftwood to get rid of ALL algae.

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[Fresh2o]

Is the DW too big to boil? If so, you can boil water in a pot and pour it over the DW.
You can also pour undiluted H2O2 on the DW as well.


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[fishenthusiast]

Is the DW too big to boil? If so, you can boil water in a pot and pour it over the DW.
You can also pour undiluted H2O2 on the DW as well.


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Nice suggestions, Fresh! I'll have to do that.


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[fishenthusiast]

I cleaned the driftwood as well as possible. Both pieces are now ready to go in the tank...once I clean the tank, which will be in an hour or so. Then, I will plant the new Crypts and the sword. I'll supply a picture by tomorrow night at the latest.


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[fishenthusiast]

Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon Low-Light Tank

After planting, all I can say is that this tank is going to look so much more natural than my previous build. Although I enjoyed high light tank build, this build is going to be much more enjoyable. I can already tell that the fish feel more comfortable. I can say that I won't have as much room as expected, so I'll have to cut down the crypt list a bit--no rare-ish crypts, I'm just going to be simple with this. I think I'll get one Anubias coffeefolia, but the rest will be of the nana petite variety. New fish to come next month. The lights are out, so I'll provide pics tomorrow. I hope you all enjoy the progress of this tank for time to come!


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[PoppaRyno]

Sounds great. What new fish is it??? I must know!

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