My 5 gallon Bowfront

[Kylefight11]

So I've finally got my tank cycling!
Its not much but here it is:

So far I've got a moss ball, a clump of anacharis that I've spread around, 3 clumps of moneywort, and 2 tiny anubias.
I think I want to pull out the anacharis and replace it with another tall plant, I'm thinking about corkscrew val., any suggestions?
Things I still need/want:
filter intake cover (this will be a RCS tank)
small carpet of moss in right front corner(best kind?)
some sort of ornament on left side, preferably with lots of height, as the filter produces a strong current, any ideas what would go well there?

So, what do you think? Anything I am doing wrong?

 

[Khuligirl93]

I think it looks really nice and it looks like you're off to a good start! The anacharis will be helpful with the cycling because it will absorb some ammonia and nitrates. Maybe a cool piece of driftwood would look nice in the left corner? Shrimp really like driftwood as well as moss

 

[Kylefight11]

Sorry, I meant to update earlier but got distracted. Here is my tank now:

The only real change is that I've added a piece of driftwood. I also think I've reached a milestone in the cycling process: nitrites are starting to go up! That happened faster than I thought it would.

 

[jwh0818]

Sorry, I meant to update earlier but got distracted. Here is my tank now:
http://s254.photobucket.com/user/trainlover-0-45/media/002.jpg.html
The only real change is that I've added a piece of driftwood. I also think I've reached a milestone in the cycling process: nitrites are starting to go up! That happened faster than I thought it would.

Your marimo ball looks dead

 

[Fishdude3233]

I agree

 

[Kylefight11]

I hope not. But I will admit that it hasn't been doing so well. Though it is a bit greener than the image makes it look. Any suggestions as to why it may be dying?

 

[Fishdude3233]

No ferts, they can also die from high nitrate poisoning.

 

[Kylefight11]

I just did a quick google search and I think I have found two possible causes:
water too warm. I've been keeping my water at about 84.5 degrees because it helps the bacteria, apperently moss balls have a max temp of 82 degrees
water too basic. the tank water has a pH of about 7.9, while moss balls like their water more neutral.
FYI, here are my water parameters, taken about 4 hours ago:
Temp: 84.4-84.7 degrees
pH: 7.9
Ammonia: 3 ppm
NitrIte: 1 ppm
NitrAte: 7ppm

 

[jwh0818]

I just did a quick google search and I think I have found two possible causes:
water too warm. I've been keeping my water at about 84.5 degrees because it helps the bacteria, apperently moss balls have a max temp of 82 degrees
water too basic. the tank water has a pH of about 7.9, while moss balls like their water more neutral.
FYI, here are my water parameters, taken about 4 hours ago:
Temp: 84.4-84.7 degrees
pH: 7.9
Ammonia: 3 ppm
NitrIte: 1 ppm
NitrAte: 7ppm

Go ahead and lower your water temp to around 77 to 78 degrees. Your tank will cycle just fine at that temp

 

[Kylefight11]

already done. Do you think it will come back?

 

[jwh0818]

already done. Do you think it will come back?

Yes any plant can (some dont) come back. It was only browning so its good. Just give it some time and itll be alright

 

[Kylefight11]

So I got some new decoration:

What do you think?
That moss is Christmas moss. I just loved the look of it in the (not so) LFS's display tank. I know it requires cooler temps so I plan on keeping the tank in the mid 70's.
Here's the tank from above:

Does it look like I've attached the moss right?
And a cycling update!
PH 7.8
Ammo. 4
Nitrite 2
Nitrate 10
The nitrite producers seem to be doing really well but it could be an anomaly caused by the new stuff. If it isn't caused by the new stuff, I may be going down to the fish store in a few weeks.

 

[Khuligirl93]

Looks good!

 

[Kylefight11]

Should I add any fertilizers? I don't plan on doing it more than a couple times if I do, but it may help the plants acclimate faster. If I do add ferts what do you suggest I get?

 

[Autumnsky]

How long are you keeping the lights on for? What type bulb do you have in there, if you can check for the K number, or brand and watt?

Sometimes I think the Marimo do not like the light too bright, so off to the side behind a little shade of the Anacharis would be a good possibility. It is better being off to the side any way as in the last pic.

It could be just having a transition issue with the different pH. DW should help a little bit.

 

[Kylefight11]

The bulb is a 10w 6500k fluorescent. I keep the light on about 6-8 hours a day (no timer, and I sometimes forget). I'd be willing to change how long I keep it on for. Note that it also receives some diffuse light at all times as some of the room lights never get turned off. BTW, what does DW mean?

 

[Khuligirl93]

DW means driftwood. It can make water more acidic.

 

[Kylefight11]

So I've come across a big problem. The tank gets too hot during the daytime. It was suggested at my LFS to remove the lid and replace it with a LED fixture. This would allow more airflow and produce less heat. This seems like a good idea but for the price. So any budget minded suggestions?

 

[Kylefight11]

I've made some big changes to the tank. First, I've moved the tank into another room with better temperature control. Second, I've gotten rid of the lid and am now using a desk lamp. Because the rim's only purpose was to fit the lid, I've decided to remove the rim too, giving the tank a rimless look that I've fallen in love with. Since I had to empty out the water to move the tank, I decided to take the opportunity to rearrange the plants and decorations. So without further ado, here it is:
















So what do you think?

 

[Khuligirl93]

I like it! But maybe make your water level an inch or two higher to hide those stains from where the rim used to be. Adding a background might be nice to hide the cords also
What kind of bulb is in that desk lamp?